MLB Player News

Crochet allowed one run on one hit and four walks while striking out two batters over four innings in a no-decision against Minnesota on Saturday.

Crochet gave up only one hit (though it was a solo homer), but he struggled with his control, throwing just 43 of 77 pitches for strikes and issuing a season-high four walks. That likely was a major factor in the left-hander getting pulled after four frames, though it can't be glossed over that he's thrown nearly 100 more innings this season than he did in 2022 (when he missed the entire campaign) and 2023 combined. The White Sox stated in late July that they don't intend to shut down Crochet or move him to the bullpen, but he hasn't pitched more than four innings or thrown more than 77 pitches in any of his past five starts while experiencing a clear downturn in his performance. His season numbers (3.19 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 162 Ks) are still great, but Crochet's fantasy managers should anticipate a managed workload moving forward, and those in redraft leagues may want to consider getting what they can for him rather than waiting for a bounce-back.

Singleton went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 6-1 loss to the Rays.

Singleton has hit safely in seven of his last nine games, going 8-for-31 (.258) with two homers and five RBI in that span. Since the start of July, he's batting .231, which is right in line with his .234 average for the season. He's added a .676 OPS, nine homers, 28 RBI, 38 runs scored, seven doubles and no stolen bases over 86 contests, and he doesn't appear to be in any immediate danger of relinquishing his starting role at first base.

Blanco (9-6) allowed two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings, taking the loss versus the Rays on Saturday.

A two-run home run by Josh Lowe in the fifth inning was enough to saddle Blanco with the loss. While he's allowed exactly two runs in four of his last six starts, he has an unfortunate 1-3 record in that span. The 30-year-old continues to put together an impressive campaign with a 2.98 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 121:48 K:BB through 124 innings over 21 starts. His next outing is projected to be at Boston.

Ober (11-5) earned the win over the White Sox on Saturday, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out seven batters over seven innings.

Ober got through four scoreless frames before Chicago tied the game with runs in the fifth and sixth innings. The Twins put up a run in the top of the seventh to move the right-hander in line for the win, and he completed a scoreless bottom of the frame before giving way to the bullpen. Ober notched his third straight victory and his eighth consecutive quality start. Over the latter streak, he's posted a 1.95 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 63:11 K:BB across 55.1 innings.

Walls went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Astros.

Walls recorded just his fifth hit in his last 16 games. Despite the struggles with getting on base, he's logged three steals during his slump, in part thanks to drawing eight walks over those contests. He's posted a punchless .156/.277/.193 slash line with no home runs, six steals, four RBI and 12 runs scored over 130 plate appearances this year. He appears to still be the Rays' preferred shortstop despite adding nothing with the bat and also being a poor fielder -- per Statcast, he has recorded a -4 mark in Outs Above Average in his first year exclusively at the position.

Lowe went 3-for-5 with two RBI and one run scored in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Astros.

Lowe has four multi-hit efforts over his last eight games, going 13-for-29 (.448) with a home run, five doubles and seven RBI in that span. The infielder hit .325 in July and is continuing his strong play into August. For the season, he's up to a .264/.353/.510 slash line with 12 homers, 37 RBI, 32 runs scored and two stolen bases over 238 plate appearances.

Diaz went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and an additional run scored in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Astros.

Diaz is 9-for-29 (.310) with two homers and four RBI over seven games since he returned from attending to a personal matter. The first baseman has reached double-digit homers in four of the last six years, but he's well off the pace that saw him swat 22 long balls last season. Through 101 contests in 2024, Diaz has a .276/.331/.410 slash line, 10 homers, 50 RBI, 40 runs scored, 23 doubles, one triple and no stolen bases.

Lowe went 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double and three RBI in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Astros.

Lowe entered the game with just five homers on the year, and none of them had come since his two-homer game June 21 versus the Pirates. He repeated the feat Saturday, hitting a two-run blast in the fifth inning and a solo shot in the seventh. While he hasn't displayed much power recently, he has gone 16-for-48 (.333) with eight RBI and three stolen bases across his last 14 contests. For the year, he has a .239/.299/.418 slash line, seven long balls, 10 steals, 22 RBI, 20 runs scored and 12 doubles over 201 plate appearances.

Littell (5-7) allowed a run on four hits and a walk while striking out three over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Astros on Saturday.

Littell allowed the opening run of the game, a Jon Singleton solo home run in the first inning. The Rays were able to bounce back on offense while Littell was sharp the rest of the way to collect consecutive wins for the first time this season. The right-hander has allowed just one run on seven hits and two walks over his last 12.2 innings. For the season, he's pitched to a 4.06 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 108:23 K:BB over 119.2 innings through 22 starts. Littell is projected to make his next start at home versus the Orioles.

The Angels selected Leblanc's contract from Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday.

Leblanc will join the major-league roster after producing a .262 average with 12 home runs, 48 RBI, 51 runs scored and four stolen bases over 81 games with Salt Lake this season. With Luis Rengifo (wrist) being placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday, Leblanc may be thrust into regular at-bats with the big-league club at third base.