MLB Player News

Spence (2-1) earned the win Thursday over the Twins, allowing one run on three hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out four.

It was an impressive outing for Spence in his first start of the year after opening the year as a reliever. The right-hander needed just 57 pitches to make it through five innings, with the lone blemish coming on a Matt Wallner homer in the fourth. Spence, who came into the day with a 4.38 ERA across 39 innings out of the bullpen, likely earned himself another look in the A's rotation. His next start would likely come next week on the road against the Angels.

Raleigh went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and three total RBI in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Orioles.

Raleigh got the Mariners on the board in the third inning, tying the game 1-1 with an RBI single, before smacking his league-leading 24th homer off Zach Eflin in the fifth. It's been an incredible year thus far for the 28-year-old Raleigh -- he has at least one hit in 13 of his last 15 contests, going 20-for-58 (.345) with nine home runs in that span. Overall, Raleigh is batting .268 with a 1.015 OPS, 49 RBI and 41 runs scored through his first 265 plate appearances this season.

Rutschman went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer in Thursday's 4-3 win over Seattle.

Rutschman tucked a Bryan Woo slider just inside the right-field foul pole in the sixth inning, tying the game 3-3. Rutschman looks to finally be turning things around at the plate after an extended slump to start the year -- he's now 7-for-13 with a pair of homers in his last three contests. The 27-year-old backstop is slashing .225/.314/.375 with seven homers, 26 runs scored and 18 RBI through 226 plate appearances this season.

The White Sox are expected to select Teel's contract from Triple-A Charlotte on Friday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

After slashing .295/.394/.492 with eight homers, 30 RBI, 34 runs scored and seven steals through 50 games with Charlotte, Teel will now report to Chicago for his first career stint in the majors. The 23-year-old has only ever played catcher during his professional career; however, the team has been getting him fielding practice at first base over the past several days. With fellow prospect Edgar Quero already starting behind the plate most days for the White Sox and batting .256 on the year, learning a new position would certainly help Teel's chances of cracking the lineup regularly. That being said, it will likely take a while for him to feel comfortable enough at first base to begin playing there in major-league games.

Festa (0-1) took the loss Thursday against the A's, allowing eight runs on six hits and two walks over 3.2 innings. He struck out six.

It was a rough day for Festa, who was recalled from Triple-A ahead of the game to make his first start with the Twins since April 23. The right-hander gave up four runs in the opening inning, with three coming on a Max Muncy homer, before Festa gave up three more runs on a pair of long balls in the third. The 25-year-old Festa sports a 5.40 ERA through four major-league starts (16.2 innings) this season with a 1.50 WHIP and 21:7 K:BB. Despite his struggles Thursday, Festa could get another look in Minnesota's rotation with Pablo Lopez (shoulder) facing an extended absence.

Bassitt (6-3) earned the win against the Phillies on Thursday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts over seven innings.

Bassitt was given an early lead and cruised to his second straight win while completing seven innings for the first time this season. The veteran threw 62 of 99 pitches for strikes and yielded just two hard-hit balls in a strong bounce-back effort after surrendering 10 runs over his previous two starts. He'll carry a 3.56 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 75:17 K:BB across 73.1 innings into a road matchup with the Cardinals next week.

Soderstrom went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and a two-run homer in Thursday's 14-3 win over the Twins.

It's already the fourth multi-homer game of the season for Soderstrom, though his last came on April 15. The 23-year-old Soderstrom had cooled off at the plate after a blistering start to the year -- he'd gone just 5-for-40 (.125) in his previous 12 games coming into Thursday. Soderstrom is now slashing .257/.333/.485 through 270 plate appearances this year with 14 homers, 42 RBI and 34 runs scored.

Baker earned the save Thursday against the Mariners, allowing one hit while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning.

For the second time in under a week, Baker was called upon to protect a one-run lead after Felix Bautista pitched the day prior. Baker made the most of the opportunity again, working around a two-out single to close out a 4-3 victory. The 30-year-old Baker has been one of Baltimore's better relievers this season, and he could be in position for more save chances going forward as the O's continue to avoid deploying Bautista in back-to-back games. Baker has posted a 2.57 ERA with a 0.96 WHIP and 37:6 K:BB across 28 innings this season.

Estevez (2-1) allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk over one-third of an inning, taking the extra-inning loss and a blown save in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader versus the Cardinals.

The Royals pulled ahead 5-4 in the top of the 10th inning, but Estevez was unable to make that lead stick. He allowed the tying run on a groundout and then gave up a walk-off single to Willson Contreras. Estevez had rattled off nine straight scoreless outings, posting a 10:2 K:BB with six saves and a win in that stretch. He's now 17-for-20 in save chances this season while maintaining a 2.03 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 25:12 K:BB over 26.2 innings.

Cameron allowed two hits and two walks while striking out three over six scoreless innings in a no-decision in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader versus the Cardinals.

Cameron has now rattled off five straight quality starts to begin his major-league career, and this was his second scoreless outing. He has yet to give up more than one run in any start, pitching to a 0.85 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 19:10 K:BB. That last ratio offers a reason for caution, as his walk rate in particular could cause problems later when his luck evens out. With Cole Ragans (groin) returning to action in the nightcap, it's unclear if Cameron will remain in the Royals' rotation heading into next week. Cameron's performance could give the team reason to roll with a six-man rotation or bump the struggling Michael Lorenzen to the bullpen.