MLB Player News

Rengifo went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Athletics.

Rengifo is 3-for-15 with four RBI and one steal on two attempts over four games since he returned from a wrist injury that cost him most of July. The utility player still needs to work on his timing at the plate, but his bout of right wrist inflammation hasn't flared up again, as he's started three straight games in the field. Rengifo has a .308/.352/.432 slash line with six home runs, 29 RBI, 37 runs scored and 23 steals over 73 contests this season.

Schanuel went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Athletics.

Schanuel is 8-for-23 (.348) with two homers over eight games since the All-Star break. The Angels have started to hit him lower in the lineup -- he's batted fifth or lower in three of the last four games after routinely having the first baseman in the top third of the order earlier in the season. He's at a middling .246/.333/.367 slash line with 10 homers, 36 RBI, 37 runs scored, 11 doubles and four stolen bases over 96 contests.

Ward went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Athletics.

The outfielder finally put a power drought to rest -- he hadn't homered in 24 games, hitting just .169 with four doubles and four RBI in that span. Ward's blast was his 15th homer of the season, and he's added 47 RBI, 46 runs scored, three stolen bases and 18 doubles while slashing .226/.309/.396 over 101 contests. His average has taken a dip, but the rest of his numbers are mostly in line with what he produced over 97 games in 2023.

Fulmer allowed three runs on two hits and three walks while striking out three over 5.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Angels on Friday.

This was Fulmer's longest outing of the year as he continues to build up his workload following a transition to the rotation. He's allowed six runs on seven hits and six walks over 15 innings across his three starts, and he's struck out 13 in those outings. He's at a 3.77 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 55:28 K:BB through 57.1 innings this season. Fulmer last regularly started in 2018 and hasn't exceeded 100 innings since that same year, so it's unclear how much he'll be able to handle in a starting role. He's projected to make his next start at home versus the Rockies.

Rooker went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 5-4 win over the Angels.

Rooker has been locked in at the plate in July, going 28-for-72 (.389) with 10 homers and 25 RBI over 20 contests this month. He took Angels reliever Hans Crouse deep in the sixth inning to tie Friday's game at 4-4. Rooker's power surge has him up to 25 homers on the year, and he's added a fantastic .288/.365/.583 slash line, 72 RBI, 50 runs scored and six stolen bases over 91 contests.

Brown went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Friday's 5-4 win over the Angels.

Brown started the Athletics' comeback with his second-inning homer, and he added an RBI single in the sixth to put them ahead. He went 0-for-11 over four games immediately after the All-Star break, but he's bounced back by going 9-for-12 with two homers and four RBI over his last four contests. For the year, he's at a .222/.285/.384 slash line with nine homers, 23 RBI, 20 runs scored and four stolen bases through 235 plate appearances. Brown figures to remain in a strong-side platoon role at first base until Tyler Soderstrom (wrist) is able to return.

Erceg allowed a hit and struck out one over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 5-4 win over the Angels.

Erceg was deployed in the eighth inning Thursday to protect a one-run lead, but he was called on to close things out Friday in a similar situation. With Mason Miller sidelined by a fractured finger on his non-throwing hand, Erceg is the favorite to close for the Athletics in the short term, though Tyler Ferguson received the first save chance in Miller's absence. Erceg has been a fine setup man this year with a 3.68 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 41:13 K:BB to go with three saves, 12 holds and three blown saves over 36.2 innings. He's kept runs off the board in 12 of his last 13 appearances, the exception being a four-run meltdown last Sunday against the Angels.

Blackburn (4-2) allowed four runs on five hits and a walk while striking out two over five innings to earn the win Friday over the Angels.

Blackburn's return from a stress reaction in his right foot got off to a rough start -- he allowed two-run home runs to Taylor Ward and Nolan Schanuel in the first inning. Manager Mark Kotsay let Blackburn work through the issues, and the right-hander did well to settle in before exiting after 72 pitches (41 strikes). He's now at a 4.41 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 38:14 K:BB through 51 innings over nine starts this season. Blackburn may have modest workload restrictions over his next one or two starts, and he's projected for a challenging home outing against the Dodgers next week.

Madris went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Friday's 9-3 loss to the Twins.

A day after collecting three hits, Madris had two more and recorded his first RBI at the MLB level since 2022. The 28-year-old is likely still just a depth option for the Tigers at best, but he could carve out a more consistent role in the short term if he continues to produce at the plate.

Singer (7-6) allowed two hits and two walks over seven scoreless frames Friday, striking out five and earning a win over the Cubs.

Singer retired the first 11 batters he faced and was later able to work his way around a few threats. In two starts since the All-Star break, he's fired 14 scoreless innings while recording 12 punchouts. He's allowed fewer than two runs in six of his last seven outings while registering a 1.76 ERA over that span. Singer now owns a strong 2.82 ERA with a 111:36 K:BB through 118 innings. His next start is projected to come on the road against the White Sox.