MLB Player News

Cruz will serve as the Royals' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Mets.

He'll draw his second start of the season, though Cruz is expected to work just one or two innings before giving way to the bullpen. Randy Dobnak hasn't been used since making a four-inning relief appearance last Thursday against the Rays, so the Royals could turn to him to cover multiple frames out of the bullpen once Cruz exits the contest.

Twins manager Derek Shelton said Tuesday that Jeffers (hand) will remain on his rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul "for at least the next three or four days," Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.

Jeffers has shown no signs of rust offensively in his first four rehab contests, going 6-for-13 with a pair of home runs. However, he has yet to catch back-to-back games, and the Twins want Jeffers to build up his workload behind the dish before returning to the active roster. With only five games remaining for the Twins before the All-Star break, it seems the club will wait until the start of the second half before activating its catcher. Jeffers has been out since late May following surgery for a fractured left hamate bone.

Baz (4-9) took the loss Tuesday, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks over six innings as the Orioles fell 5-2 to the Cubs. He struck out three.

The right-hander tossed 63 of 100 pitches for strikes in his second straight quality start and seventh of the season, but Baltimore's hitters were shut down by Matthew Boyd for six frames to leave Baz stuck with the loss. All seven of those quality starts have come since May 15, a stretch in which Baz has delivered a 3.30 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 52:23 K:BB over 62.2 innings but has just a 3-5 record to show for it. He's set to make one more start before the All-Star break, at home this Sunday against the Royals.

Tolbert went 5-for-6 with a home run, two RBI, four runs scored and a stolen base in Tuesday's 16-12 win over the Mets.

Tolbert got the Royals' offense rolling by taking Kodai Senga deep in his first plate appearance of the night. He added his third stolen base of the month in the fifth inning. Entering Tuesday on a 7-for-7 streak, Tolbert capped off a remarkable stretch with an infield single in the seventh, tying the major-league record with hits in 12 consecutive plate appearances. Typically known more for his defense and speed, Tolbert has caught fire at the plate over the last few days and is now slashing .396/.434/.542 across 54 plate appearances this season.

Monasterio went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 8-1 win over the White Sox.

Monasterio opened the scoring in the second inning by taking Noah Schultz deep for his fourth home run of the season. Following a single in the sixth, he swiped his second stolen base of the year. After a 1-for-15 slump to end June, the infielder has collected a hit in each of his four July games. Across 54 games this season, Monasterio is batting .228 with a .659 OPS.

Antonacci went 3-for-4 with a stolen base Tuesday against the Red Sox.

Antonacci continues to hit well overall, but he entered Tuesday's game hitless in his last three games and 12 at-bats. He snapped that very brief slump with a three-single performance, and he also tallied his 12th stolen base of the season and first since June 22. Antonacci has had a very impressive rookie season, maintaining a 130 wRC+ across his first 287 plate appearances while racking up 46 runs scored in 71 contests.

Rafaela went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 8-1 win over the White Sox.

Rafaela gave Boston an early cushion by taking Noah Schultz deep for a two-run homer in the second inning. It was his first long ball in 20 games. The center fielder has now recorded a hit in each of his last five games, including three multi-hit performances. On the year, Rafaela is slashing .284/.332/.441 with eight home runs, 20 doubles, three triples, 38 RBI, 39 runs scored and 12 stolen bases across 85 games.

Schultz (2-6) took the loss Tuesday against the Red Sox, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three over five innings

After escaping a 33-pitch first inning by stranding the bases loaded, Schultz ran into trouble in the second, allowing homers against Andruw Monasterio and Ceddanne Rafaela to open the scoring. He later surrendered another run in the fourth. Control has remained an issue for the young left-hander, who has issued at least three walks in seven of his 10 starts this season. Schultz has allowed seven runs over 9.1 innings with a 10:7 K:BB since returning from the injured list. He is scheduled to make one more start before the All-Star break at home Sunday against the Athletics.

Tolle (5-6) earned the win Tuesday against the White Sox, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out six over six scoreless innings.

Tolle threw 60 of his 91 pitches for strikes and generated 15 whiffs. After Boston handed him a lead in the second inning, the left-hander retired 15 of the final 16 batters he faced. It was a strong bounce-back performance after he was tagged for six runs over three innings in his previous start against Washington. Tolle now owns a 3.14 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 80:24 K:BB across 80.1 innings and is tentatively scheduled to make one more start before the All-Star break against the Mets.

Clement went 3-for-4 with a double, one RBI and one run scored in Tuesday's 9-3 win over the Giants.

Clement has gone 15-for-44 (.341) over his last 12 games since shaking off a hip issue that cost him some time in late June. The All-Star second baseman is now batting .298 with a .753 OPS, seven home runs, 30 RBI, 39 runs scored, 23 doubles, one triple and two stolen bases over 89 contests this season. Clement has been atop the lineup for the last two games, though it's unclear if he'll stay there once George Springer rejoins the starting nine.