MLB Player News

Smith (1-1) came away with the win in Thursday's rain-shortened game against the Twins, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out seven over five scoreless innings.

Smith punched out a season-high seven batters in Thursday's outing, generating 12 whiffs on 82 pitches (50 strikes) en route to his first MLB win. It was the second time he's logged a scoreless outing and through five starts, and the Rule 5 pick has a 2.30 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, which rank eighth and seventh among qualified starters in the American League, respectively. The 25-year-old right-hander is slated to take on the Brewers at home next week.

Vargas went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and an additional run scored in Thursday's 3-0 win over Minnesota.

Vargas extended the White Sox's lead to three runs in the sixth inning, when he took Jorge Alcala deep to left-center field for a solo homer. It was Vargas' first home run of the season, and while he has a .163 average for the season, he's been marginally better of late with a .217 average in his past seven games.

Sosa went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Twins.

Sosa got the White Sox on the board in the second inning, when he took the first pitch of the at-bat from Chris Paddack deep to left-center field for a solo homer. It was Sosa's second home run of the season (the first of which took place on Opening Day), and he's recorded at least one hit in nine of his last 10 games, going 12-for-36 (.333) over that span.

Walls is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Walls will not start for a second consecutive game Thursday, though he was able to go 1-for-2 after entering Wednesday's game as a pinch hitter. Jose Caballero will draw another start at shortstop and bat seventh.

The Guardians are expected to promote Nikhazy from Triple-A Columbus ahead of Friday's game against the Red Sox, SI.com reports.

Nikhazy had been working as a starter at Columbus, posting a 3.44 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 22:7 K:BB in 18.1 innings. The Guardians intend to deploy Nikhazy out of the bullpen initially, but he could be the next man up to start if an opening emerges in the big-league rotation.

Rooker isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rangers.

Rooker's performance has been trending in the right direction as of late, as he's gone 8-for-25 with three homers, five RBI and eight runs scored over the past week. He'll take a seat Thursday for the first time this season, opening up a spot in the lineup for Seth Brown to serve as the Athletics' designated hitter.

Renfroe isn't in the lineup for Game 2 of Thursday's doubleheader against the Rockies.

Renfroe showed signs of life at the plate with a 2-for-3 performance in the early game, but he'll grab a seat on the bench to conclude Thursday's festivities. His absence will allow Mark Canha to start in right field and bat seventh against right-hander Chase Dollander.

Isbel isn't in the lineup for the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against Colorado.

Isbel went 2-for-4 with three RBI in a 7-4 victory in Game 1, and the Royals will now give him the rest of the day off against Chase Dollander and the Rockies. Jonathan India, Drew Waters and Mark Canha will start across the outfield while Isbel sits.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that O'Neill is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Nationals due to neck soreness, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

It's a recurrence of the same issue that cost O'Neill two games last week. Hyde said that he's hopeful O'Neill will be available off the bench Thursday, so it sounds like a day-to-day situation.

Bregman went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and two total RBI in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Mariners.

Bregman got Boston on the board with his home run off Bryan Woo in the first inning, his fifth long ball this season, before adding a second RBI with a two-out single in the third. Bregman has been red hot at the plate -- he's hit safely in five straight games, going 8-for-18 (.444) with four extra-base hits in that span. The 31-year-old Bregman is now slashing .320/.393/.563 with 21 RBI and 17 runs scored through his first 117 plate appearances with the Red Sox.