MLB Player News

Early has been diagnosed with left posterior elbow inflammation following an MRI, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

It appears to be a best-case scenario after Early was forced to depart Tuesday's start against the Nationals after four innings and then landed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday. The Red Sox have not yet officially determined next steps for the young hurler, but the hope is Early will be able to resume throwing soon. If that happens, it's possible the left-hander could rejoin the rotation not long after the All-Star break.

Williams went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 7-1 win over the Dodgers.

Williams has taken on a starting role at shortstop during Jacob Wilson's (thumb) latest absence. Over seven games since he returned to the majors, Williams has gone 8-for-24 (.333) with three RBI. The infielder is batting .304 with an .811 OPS, two homers, eight RBI, 11 runs scored, six doubles and no stolen bases over 73 plate appearances in the majors this season. Williams will likely need to maintain the hot bat to keep prospect Joshua Kuroda-Grauer working at second and third base rather than shortstop.

Heim went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk, a second RBI and two total runs scored in Wednesday's 7-1 win over the Dodgers.

Heim opened the scoring when he took Charlie Barnes deep in the second inning. Heim has hit safely in six of his last seven games, going 7-for-27 with two homers, six RBI and a 3:6 BB:K in that span. The catcher has found both power and consistency at the plate lately and is now hitting .246 with an .802 OPS on the year. He's up to eight homers, 23 RBI, 19 runs scored and nine doubles through 43 contests between the Athletics and Atlanta.

Langeliers went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 7-1 win over the Dodgers.

Langeliers had hit just one homer over his previous 15 games, and he batted a mere .183 (11-for-60) in that span. The catcher was able to get July started on a positive note with his 20th homer of the season. He's hitting .265 with an .827 OPS on the year while adding 44 RBI, 51 runs scored, 16 doubles and two stolen bases over 79 contests.

Ginn (7-4) allowed one run on three hits and five walks while striking out four over six innings to earn the win over the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Ginn's control wasn't great, but he limited the damage to a Freddie Freeman solo home run in the third inning. This was Ginn's fourth win in his last five outings, a span in which he's allowed 14 runs (12 earned) over 29 innings. On the year, he has a 3.04 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 82:41 K:BB over 94.2 innings through 19 appearances (16 starts). While he's allowing a few too many baserunners to be truly dominant, he's getting timely outs to avoid too much damage. Ginn will look to keep rolling on the road versus the Tigers next week.

Clemens went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run during Wednesday's 8-3 win against the Astros.

Clemens delivered what ended up being the game-deciding runs when he clubbed his 14th homer of the season during the second inning. The super-utility man got his sixth straight start at second base and continues to be utilized all across the diamond with 48 appearances at first base and 29 in the outfield so far this year.

Bell went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 8-3 win against the Astros.

Bell started off the scoring for the Twins on Wednesday when he tattooed a ball over the batter's eye in center field off of Tatsuya Imai during the opening frame. The 33-year-old slugger now has a 16-game road hitting streak, which is the longest active streak in the majors. After a slow start, Bell has now raised his OPS to .713 and leads the team in RBI with 56.

Imai (5-4) picked up the loss Wednesday against the Twins after allowing five runs on four hits and five walks across 1.1 innings. He struck out two.

The start versus Minnesota was the latest hiccup in Imai's up-and-down first season in MLB, as he struggled with control and the long ball Wednesday. After striking out 21 in his previous two starts, Imai was unable to get through the second inning for the third time this season. He was handed his first loss since May and saw his ERA and WHIP rise to 6.14 and 1.47, respectively. The 28-year-old's next turn through the rotation lines up to be a road matchup with the Nationals.

Bradley (7-3) allowed one run on four hits and three walks while striking out 11 over five innings to earn the win over Houston on Wednesday.

Bradley threw five solid innings, with the only damage against him coming during the first inning as he struck out a season-high 11 batters. The righty is pitching well over his past three starts with just five runs allowed and a 22:8 K:BB across 17 innings. The 25-year-old is slated to pitch next week against the Guardians.

Walker was removed from Wednesday's game against the Twins with lower-back stiffness, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Walker went 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts before being replaced by a pinch hitter in the sixth inning. He'll get an extra day to rest up before the Astros begin their next series Friday against the Rays, but if he's unable to play in the opener, Isaac Paredes would likely be next in line to start at first base, creating an opportunity at third for Brice Matthews.