MLB Player News

Kjerstad exited Thursday's game with Triple-A Norfolk after fouling a ball off his right knee, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Thursday's game was Kjerstad's fourth game with Norfolk since being demoted by Baltimore. He had gone just 2-for-15 with five strikeouts prior to exiting Thursday's game. The severity of the injury is not known.

Buxton went 3-for-6 with two solo home runs and a double during Thursday's 12-5 win over the Reds.

Buxton notched his first multi-homer game of the campaign, taking Nick Martinez yard in the first and second innings. He's now homered in three consecutive games and is up to 15 long balls on the year. In his last nine games, Buxton has gone 12-for-28 (.429) with three doubles and five home runs.

Armstrong (2-2) took the loss against the Royals on Thursday, allowing two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter in the first inning.

With Nathan Eovaldi (triceps) on the injured list, the Rangers turned to Armstrong and the rest of the bullpen to fill the gap in the rotation. Armstrong took to the mound to start Thursday's game, but he gave up a two-run homer to Vinnie Pasquantino and was tagged with the loss as the Rangers were unable to muster up enough offense. Armstrong could be in the opener mix again next week against the Orioles at Camden Yards if Eovaldi is not cleared to return from the IL.

Jeffers went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and a two-RBI double during Thursday's 12-5 win over the Reds.

Jeffers missed Wednesday's contest with a bruised hand but re-entered the lineup Thursday and had a monster game, setting a season high in RBI. He launched a two-run homer in the eighth inning off Taylor Rogers, marking the catcher's fifth long ball of the season. Since the start of June, Jeffers has gone 11-for-43 (.256) with two home runs, seven RBI and five runs scored.

Clemens went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored during Thursday's 12-5 win over Cincinnati.

Clemens launched his seventh home run of the season, tagging Nick Martinez for a two-run homer that plated Ryan Jeffers. Clemens came into Thursday's contest hitless in his last 11 at-bats and without a multi-hit game since May 19. On the year, Clemens is slashing .219/.317/.486 in 121 plate appearances.

Javier (elbow) threw a 20-pitch live batting practice session Thursday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Javier had been limited to bullpen sessions until Thursday, but his ability to face hitters is a milestone in his recovery. All reportedly went well, with manager Joe Espada reporting Javier hit 95 mph with his fastball as he continues to ramp up coming off Tommy John surgery.

Skubal (8-2) earned the win Thursday in the opening game of a doubleheader with the Pirates, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out six.

Skubal came an out shy of recording his fourth straight quality start, though he was still able to pick up his fourth win in his last five outings. The left-hander had been on a stellar run ahead of Thursday's outing -- Skubal had allowed just one run while striking out 32 over 30.2 innings in his previous four starts. Overall, the reigning Cy Young winner sports a 2.06 ERA with a 0.85 WHIP and 117 strikeouts across 15 starts (96 innings) this year. Skubal is currently scheduled to face the A's at home in his next outing.

Wacha (4-6) came away with the win against Texas on Thursday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out five across six innings.

Wacha faced the minimum number of batters in three of the six innings he pitched, and he kept the Rangers off the board until the sixth, when he yielded an RBI double to Marcus Semien. Thursday marked Wacha's seventh quality start of the season (three of which have come over his last four outings) and his 3.24 ERA (across 86 innings) is 16th best among qualified starters in the American League. He's lined up to face Tampa Bay at home next week.

Pasquantino went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run homer in Thursday's 4-1 win over Texas.

Pasquantino put the Royals on the board in the first inning with a two-run homer to right field off Shawn Armstrong. It was Pasquantino's 11th long ball of the season and third since the beginning of June. He is slashing .333/.412/.500 with one steal, eight runs scored and 10 RBI in 68 plate appearances this month.

Caglianone went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Rangers.

Caglianone entered Thursday's game with a sub-.200 batting average in 52 plate appearances. However, he looked more composed at the plate as he collected his first major-league home run off Jacob Latz in the second inning before belting another solo homer in the ninth to give the Royals a three-run lead. Caglianone now has a .218/.232/.364 slash line through his first 14 big-league games.