MLB Player News

Refsnyder went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Yankees.

Refsnyder and Connor Wong went back-to-back off Carlos Rodon in the fourth to give the Red Sox their only two runs of the evening. The long ball was just his fifth of the year and it extended a four-game RBI streak during which he's racked up seven hits. The 33-year-old remains a reliable lineup fixture against lefties and is now slashing .310/.396/.478 with 26 RBI, 23 runs, a steal and a 22:52 BB:K in 212 plate appearances.

Gray plans to undergo imaging in the coming days to determine the severity of the right groin injury that forced him out of his start in Sunday's 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays before the beginning of the first inning, Ethan Diamandas of MLB.com reports.

Gray tweaked his groin during one of his final warmup pitches Sunday, and after consulting with manager Bruce Bochy, the right-hander was pulled from the game without facing a batter. Texas used three relievers to record all 24 outs in an impromptu bullpen day, but the Rangers may need to turn to long relievers Dane Dunning or Jose Urena or call up a pitcher from the minors to make a spot start next weekend against the Red Sox if Gray isn't fully healed from the groin injury by then. The Rangers should have a better feel for Gray's status heading into the weekend once the results of his imaging are in.

Mahle (elbow) struck out three and allowed three earned runs on three hits and one walk over four innings in his rehab start Thursday with Double-A Frisco.

Mahle tossed 55 pitches (34 strikes) in the outing, his second with Frisco and the fifth overall of his minor-league rehab assignment. Over those five starts, Mahle has turned in a 2.03 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB in 13.1 innings, and his fastball velocity has mostly sat in the lower 90s -- right in line with his readings from before he underwent Tommy John surgery last May. Mahle will likely look to push up his pitch count to the 60-to-70 range his next time out Wednesday with Triple-A Round Rock in what could be his final minor-league outing before he returns from the 60-day injured list. Texas has an off day coming up Thursday and could be able to get by with a four-man rotation this week before Mahle potentially returns from the IL to make his Rangers debut Aug. 5 against the Astros. The Rangers will have a spot open for Mahle in the rotation after trading Michael Lorenzen to the Royals on Monday.

The Rangers acquired Pennington from the Royals on Monday in exchange for right-hander Michael Lorenzen.

Pennington, 26, has made one scoreless appearance in the majors this season and boasts a 2.26 ERA and 79:20 K:BB across 59.2 innings at the Triple-A level in 2024. The left-hander will be assigned to Triple-A Round Rock for now but could contribute to the Rangers bullpen in the second half.

The Royals acquired Lorenzen from the Rangers on Monday in exchange for left-hander Walter Pennington.

Kansas City has shored up its pitching depth with the acquisition of Lorenzen, though it's not immediately clear if the right-hander will be part of the rotation with his new team, as the Royals have gotten quality results from back-end starters Michael Wacha and Alec Marsh. Lorenzen has plenty of prior experience working in relief, and he could prove to be a more useful weapon at the back end of the Kansas City bullpen, especially after Hunter Harvey (back) and John Schreiber (knee) exited Sunday's game against the Cubs with injuries. Lorenzen had started in 18 of his 19 appearances with Texas this season, logging a 5-6 record, 3.81 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 75:48 K:BB over 101.2 innings. The 32-year-old is set to become a free agent after the season.

Varsho went 1-for-3 with a walk, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Sunday's win over the Rangers.

The 28-year-old outfielder took Jonathan Hernandez deep in the first inning, after the right-hander was forced to make an emergency start when Jon Gray (groin) was scratched before the first pitch. Varsho has left the yard in back-to-back games, giving him 13 home runs on the year, but those long balls snapped a 28-game homer drought and he's slashing a tepid .215/.307/.415 through 76 plate appearances in July.

Festa is scheduled to start Tuesday's game against the Mets at Citi Field.

After being roughed up for 12 earned runs in 10 innings in his first two big-league starts earlier this summer, Festa was deployed as a bulk reliever in this past Wednesday's game against the Phillies following his call-up from Triple-A St. Paul. Upon entering the game behind opening pitcher Steven Okert, Festa delivered by far his best MLB outing to date, striking out seven over four innings of relief while giving up one earned run on four hits and two walks. Despite Festa's success out of the bullpen, the Twins will give him another look in a starting role when his next turn through the rotation comes up in New York. Festa brings plenty of strikeout upside to the table, though keeping the ball in the yard has been a major issue for the 24-year-old both in the majors and minors in 2024.

Jansen started at designated hitter and went 2-for-3 with a walk in Sunday's 8-2 loss to the Yankees.

Jansen, who was acquired from the Blue Jays on Saturday, made his debut for Boston. The catcher served as the DH and gives the Red Sox a needed right-handed bat that can harm lefties, against whom Jansen has a .718 OPS this season. He replaced Reese McGuire (.533 OPS against lefties), who was designated for assignment, as the Red Sox's backup to catcher Connor Wong.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Sunday's 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays.

Smith launched a two-run shot in the eighth inning, his 11th of the season. With news that third baseman Josh Jung (wrist) is progressing well on a rehab assignment, Smith will soon find a new home in the Rangers' lineup, likely as the primary designated hitter.

DeLuca went 1-for-3 with a stolen base Sunday against the Reds.

DeLuca has started four straight games, three of which have come since Randy Arozarena has been dealt. He's split his time between left and center field and gone 4-for-15 with two walks, two runs scored and a stolen base. DeLuca is hitting primarily in the bottom third of the lineup, though he should still be a decent source of stolen bases with some power mixed in across the final two months of the season.