MLB Player News

Higashioka went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Dodgers.

Higashioka put the Rangers on the board in the third winning with a two-run shot off Roki Sasaki. It was Higashioka's first home run of 2025, and he's started the season slashing .278/.316/.444 with two walks, two runs scored and five RBI over 38 plate appearances this season.

Garcia went 1-for-4 with a walk-off, two-run homer in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Dodgers.

Garcia ended Saturday's game in dramatic fashion, taking Kirby Yates deep to left field for a two-run home run to give the Rangers their 13th win of the season. Garcia is up to four home runs on the season, two of which have come over his last three outings. He has gone 10-for-36 with two stolen bases, four runs scored, two home runs and five RBI over his last 10 games.

Vest gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his first save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Royals.

Tommy Kahnle and Tyler Holton had both pitched Thursday and Friday and were unavailable, leaving closing duties to Vest. The right-hander wasn't exactly sharp, but after putting two runners aboard with two outs, he coaxed a pop-up from Kyle Isbel to end the afternoon. Vest has had an impressive start to the season overall in a high-leverage role for the Tigers, posting a 1.04 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB through 8.2 innings with one win and one hold in addition to Saturday's save.

Mize (3-1) picked up the win Saturday in a 3-1 victory over the Royals, allowing one run on four hits and one walk over seven innings. He struck out three.

The right-hander took a shutout into the seventh inning before serving up a solo shot to Freddy Fermin. Mize delivered his second quality start in four outings on 88 pitches (63 strikes), and he'll take a 2.22 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 18:7 K:BB through 24.1 innings into his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come at home next weekend against the Orioles.

Fermin went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Tigers.

The 29-year-old backstop supplied the only offense of the afternoon for the Royals, spoiling Casey Mize's shutout bid by launching a seventh-inning slider over the fence in left-center field. it was Fermin's first long ball of the season, and through 12 games he's batting .214 (6-for-28) with two RBI and four runs.

Lugo (1-3) took the loss Saturday, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks over 6.2 innings as the Royals fell 3-1 to the Tigers. He struck out five.

The veteran right-hander delivered his second quality start in five outings on 105 pitches (68 strikes), but Kansas City's offense had trouble solving Casey Mize, magnifying the impact of Lugo's only real mistake -- a fifth-inning splitter that stayed up to Spencer Torkelson and got deposited in the left-field bullpen for a three-run homer. Lugo will take a 3.90 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 21:11 K:BB through 30 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Astros.

Rice was diagnosed with a left elbow contusion after getting hit by a pitch in Saturday's game against the Rays, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Rice was plunked twice during Saturday's contest and ran for himself on both occasions, but the Yankees decided to pull him in the sixth inning. The 26-year-old slugger also received X-rays and a CT scan on his elbow to make sure he didn't suffer any structural damage, and both tests came back negative, per Boland. He can be considered day-to-day.

Kjerstad left Saturday's game against the Reds in the third inning after getting hit by a Hunter Greene fastball on the elbow in the first inning, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

X-rays on Kjerstad's elbow came back negative after he was pulled, per Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com, so he seems to have escaped with only a bruise. Ramon Laureano replaced Kjerstad in left field and could be in for more playing time if the latter ends up needing to sit another game or two. The 26-year-old Kjerstad is off to a strong start at the plate, hitting .261/.300/.500 with three homers so far, and he's now been hit by seven pitches in 70 career major-league games.

McCullers (forearm) was scratched from his rehab start at Double-A Corpus Christi on Friday due to an illness, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers is currently fighting off a case of the stomach flu and will presumably make his next rehab start as soon as he's feeling better. His next outing is expected to be his final appearance in the minors if all goes well, which puts him on track to make his season debut for the Astros near the end of April.

Topa will open Saturday's game against Atlanta, Phil Miller of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Topa has given up just one run in 6.2 innings this season, and he'll now be tasked with facing the top of Atlanta's lineup Saturday in what will be the first start of his major-league career. The 34-year-old righty will likely remain in the game for just one inning before handing things over to Simeon Woods Richardson, who is due to pitch in bulk relief.