MLB Player News

Pearson (illness) gave up an earned run on one hit and one walk over one inning out of the bullpen in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Rays.

Pearson made his first appearance of the second half Tuesday after he had been unavailable out of the bullpen for the Blue Jays' series with the Tigers this past weekend while he was battling an illness. Though the right-hander yielded a run in his return to action, he looked to be at close to full strength while pumping in 13 of his 20 pitches for strikes Tuesday.

McArthur (4-4) allowed five runs on four hits and a walk while striking out one over one inning, taking the loss and a blown save Wednesday versus the Diamondbacks.

McArthur had been better of late, allowing just two runs (one earned) over his previous 12 innings, but it was a full meltdown for the right-hander in Wednesday's contest. He blew a one-run lead on a Gabriel Moreno two-run double and then surrendered a three-run home run to Ketel Marte. McArthur is now 17-for-22 in save chances this year with a 4.91 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 33:9 K:BB through 40.1 innings. He's hardly been convincing throughout the campaign, though the Royals previously lacked better options to replace him in the ninth inning. That may change going forward with Hunter Harvey on the roster, though Harvey was used in the eighth inning Wednesday and could remain in a setup role he's filled all year both with Washington and Kansas City.

Harvey walked one and hit a batter in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn a hold in Wednesday's 8-6 loss to the Diamondbacks.

While the Royals failed to hold the lead, it wasn't Harvey's fault, as he protected a one-run advantage in the eighth inning. Harvey is in a high-leverage role following his trade from the Nationals, though he has yet to differentiate himself from the other middling late-inning options on Kansas City's roster. For the year, he has a 4.21 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 52:14 K:BB with no saves, 27 holds and two blown saves through 47 innings. James McArthur has functioned as the Royals' closer this year, but his continued struggles since May leave him on shaky ground, potentially opening the door for Harvey or other relievers like Chris Stratton, John Schreiber and Sam Long to get looks for saves as long as the team remains in the playoff hunt.

Robles went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in a loss to the Angels on Wednesday.

Robles reached safely for the eighth straight game, continuing to serve as one of the few consistent bats in a struggling and now injury-hampered Mariners lineup. The veteran outfielder is also evolving into a consistently effective threat on the basepaths, with Wednesday's steal his sixth in the last seven contests. Robles' blistering bat since joining Seattle was already starting to carve him out additional playing time, but injuries to Dominic Canzone (thigh) and Julio Rodriguez (ankle) have essentially locked Robles into an everyday role for the foreseeable future.

Kiermaier is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays.

Though the Blue Jays are facing off against right-hander Taj Bradley on Thursday, the lefty-hitting Kiermaier will get a breather for the day game after he started in center field in Wednesday night's 6-3 win. Davis Schneider will pick up a start in the outfield in place of Kiermaier, who made headlines Wednesday by announcing that the 2024 season would be the last of his 11-year MLB career.

Polanco went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk in a loss to the Angels on Wednesday.

Polanco was productive on yet another night of anemic play by the Mariners offense as a whole, snapping a brief 0-for-8 skid that had encompassed the previous two games. Polanco has now hit safely in five of the last seven contests overall, and the .231 average he's mustered in that span actually represents significant improvement over his body of work for the majority of the season.

Siri is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Blue Jays.

Siri will exit the starting nine for the first time since July 7 in what looks to be a maintenance day. Jonny DeLuca will pick up the start in center field for Siri, who could probably benefit from a day off after striking out six times in eight at-bats between the first two games of the series in Toronto.

Caballero is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Blue Jays.

Caballero has moved back into a near-everyday role in the Tampa Bay infield since Yandy Diaz (personal) was placed on the restricted list Saturday. Though he'll cede his spot in the lineup to Amed Rosario in the series finale in Toronto, Caballero started in each of the Rays' previous six contests, going 4-for-22 with a home run, a stolen base, a walk, two RBI and two runs.

Rortvedt is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Blue Jays.

Rortvedt will get a breather for the day game after he was behind the plate for the Rays in both of the previous two contests. Alex Jackson will start at catcher in the series finale, batting ninth.

Brown went 3-for-3 with a walk in a loss to the Astros on Wednesday.

The Athletics' red-hot offense finally cooled Wednesday, but Brown put together his second straight multi-hit effort. The veteran had recently been mired in a brief 0-for-11 slump that encompassed four games, but his 5-for-7 showing over the last two contests has pushed his average back over the Mendoza Line (.209)