MLB Player News

Witt went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Sunday's 4-1 win over the White Sox.

Witt has come out of the All-Star break on a tear with nine hits in 11 at-bats. His streak of three straight games with three hits is tied for the longest of his career. It's also tied for the third-longest streak in Royals history, behind Johnny Damon (four) and George Brett (six). Witt's hot run extends beyond the All-Star break, as he's been out of his mind over his last 15 games, slashing .508/.516/.864 with five homers and 13 RBI over that span. Since June 30, the 24-year-old has seen his batting average go from .307 to .337, second best in MLB behind Steven Kwan.

Lugo (12-4) picked up the win Sunday against the White Sox, pitching a complete game and allowing one run on three hits while striking out six.

Lugo set another career mark in his breakout season of 2024. In his 85th career start, Lugo registered his first career complete game in Sunday's win over the White Sox. The 2024 All-Star lowered his ERA to 2.38 in the win, which ties him with Corbin Burnes for the lowest in the MLB. Lugo's 12 wins are also one behind Chris Sale for the most in MLB this season.

Thorpe didn't factor into the decision in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Royals. He pitched six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out five.

Thorpe was impressive yet again Sunday, registering a start of six scoreless innings for the second time in his first seven career outings. He was pulled in the seventh after reaching 97 pitches, and his bullpen couldn't hold on to the 1-0 lead he left them. Thorpe has been one of the better rookie hurlers in the American League, as he now has a streak of five straight quality starts. Outside of his June 16 appearance, when he gave up seven earned runs, the 23-year-old has given up only six earned runs over his other six starts.

Urias was scratched from Sunday's lineup against the Rangers due to neck soreness, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Urias was originally set to draw the start at third base in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Rangers, but he was ultimately a late scratch. The 30-year-old will look to take advantage of Monday's off day before Baltimore starts a three-game series in Miami on Tuesday.

Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Smith started the first two games of the second half -- including Saturday against lefty Justin Wrobleski -- but the first baseman will sit Sunday as another lefty in James Paxton takes the mound. Romy Gonzalez will start at first base and bat leadoff in the series finale versus Boston.

Abreu is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Southpaw James Paxton is pitching Sunday for Los Angeles, and the lefty-hitting Abreu finds himself on the bench for the second straight game. Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Tyler O'Neill will start from left to right in the outfield.

Bloss is scheduled to start Tuesday's game against the Athletics in Oakland, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Bloss will be making his first turn through the rotation of the second half after he returned from the 15-day injured list July 11 and covered four innings in a start against the Marlins. The rookie right-hander's stay in the rotation will likely come to an end once Justin Verlander (neck) is activated from the IL, perhaps as soon as next week.

Refsnyder was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers for unspecified reasons, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

The 33-year-old was set to start in left field and bat leadoff against Los Angeles lefty James Paxton, but Refsnyder will now start the contest on the bench. The Red Sox have yet to provide an update, but it could be an injury situation since the outfielder is a lineup regular versus left-handed pitching.

Jung (wrist) took batting practice on the field Sunday, and Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said afterward that the third baseman is close to facing live pitching, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Jung had been steadily increasing the intensity of his hitting work over the past week before he took another step forward by getting in some swings on the field Sunday. Bochy noted that the 28-year-old "looks good," while adding that "the strength is back" in his wrist. If Jung's wrist responds well once he faces off against higher-velocity pitching, he would likely then head out on a minor-league rehab assignment. Jung may still have a chance to make it back from the 60-day injured list before the end of the month, though an early August return might be more realistic.

Lively (8-6) took the loss against the Padres on Sunday, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over 5.1 innings while striking out two.

Lively gave up a two-out double to Kyle Higashioka that plated two runs in the second inning, but outside of that, he pitched well and stayed out of trouble in Sunday's loss. It was his seventh straight start in which he gave up multiple runs, but he's also pitched into the sixth inning in six straight starts. The 32-year-old remains a steady piece of the Guardians rotation with a 3.57 ERA through 93.1 innings this season.