MLB Player News

Robles started in center field for Julio Rodriguez (quadriceps) in Sunday's extra-inning loss to the Blue Jays and went 1-for-1 with a solo home run, a stolen base, a walk and an additional run.

It was an eventful spot start for Robles, who slugged his first home run of the season via a 424-foot shoot to left field in the third inning for the first run of the afternoon. The veteran outfielder then stole third base in the seventh following an inning-opening walk, but he was stranded by a Luke Raley strikeout that ended the frame. Rodriguez did pinch hit for Robles in the eighth inning Sunday after an MRI on his quadriceps came back clean, so the star outfielder could be ready to relegate Robles back to the bench in Tuesday's series opener against the Padres following Monday's team off day.

Rodriguez (quadriceps) entered Sunday's extra-inning loss to the Blue Jays as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning and was hit by a pitch in his one plate appearance.

Rodriguez was out of the starting nine after being removed early from Saturday's game against Toronto with the quadriceps injury, but a subsequent MRI came back with "nothing out of the ordinary," per MLB.com. As had been announced by manager Scott Servais before Sunday's contest after Rodriguez completed some pregame running drills, the outfielder was healthy enough to take an at-bat. However, Servais immediately substituted Dylan Moore for Rodriguez on the basepaths once the latter was plunked, and Rodriguez was subsequently formally ejected in the ninth inning for shouting from the dugout after a called third strike on Mitch Garver. With the benefit of a team off day Monday, Rodriguez could be healthy enough to return to the lineup for Tuesday's series opener against the Padres.

Jansen locked down his 18th save of the year in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Yankees, tossing a clean ninth inning while striking out a batter in the process.

Jansen made quick work of Yankees hitters, getting Ben Rice to ground out and Juan Soto to line out before setting Aaron Judge down on strikes to end the game. Father Time is doing Jansen well this season, as he's converted 18 of his first 19 save chances while sporting a 2.01 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 35:12 K:BB in 31.1 innings. He has 10 straight scoreless outings since June 15 and has picked up a win and eight saves over that span.

Lovelady (forearm) was sent to the Rays' Florida Complex League affiliate Monday to begin a rehab assignment.

Lovelady has been shelved since early June with a left forearm flexor strain but has been cleared to test things out in a game setting. The left-handed reliever has posted a 7.36 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across 7.1 innings with the Rays this season and appears poised for a return at the start of the second half.

Crawford (5-7) earned the win Sunday against the Yankees after tossing seven shutout innings while allowing just four hits. He struck out four.

Crawford was incredibly efficient Sunday night, needing just 68 pitches to coast through seven frames while throwing 54 strikes. Crawford's never pitched into the eighth before, and while he certainly could've based on pitch count, manager Alex Cora decided to turn to the bullpen for the final six outs. Crawford contributed to shutting out the Yankees offense for the first time since April and now owns an 11:0 K:BB over his last 13 innings after back-to-back starts without issuing a walk. The 28-year-old now owns a 3.24 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 106:28 K:BB in 105.2 innings and will look to finish out the first half strong as he prepares to face the Royals at home in a weekend series.

Devers went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Yankees.

With the game tied going into the seventh, Devers broke through with a solo home run the opposite way to put the Red Sox out in front. He then admired a no-doubter 423-foot blast off Michael Tonkin in the ninth to make it a 3-0 ballgame. With his two-homer performance, Devers now has seven long balls in his last 10 games at Yankee Stadium and moved into a tie with David Ortiz for the fifth-most home runs at Yankee Stadium as a visiting player (16). He hasn't just been hot against the Yankees, however. Over his last 11 games, Devers is slashing .405/.479/.976 with seven homers, 16 RBI, 13 runs and a 6:11 BB:K. He's putting together another extremely productive campaign with one more week before the All-Star break and is currently slashing .293/.378/.593 with 21 homers, 55 RBI, 56 runs and a 40:79 BB:K in 336 plate appearances.

Rafaela went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Yankees.

Rafaela delivered late with a solo home run off Luke Weaver in the eighth to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead. He now has three homers and nine RBI over his last six games and has seen his hitting numbers steadily rise since early June after a slow start to the campaign. The 23-year-old is now slashing .244/.272/.417 with 11 homers, 50 RBI, 43 runs, 11 steals and an 11:87 BB:K in 325 plate appearances.

Gil (9-5) took the loss Sunday against the Red Sox, allowing one run on four hits and no walks while striking out nine over 6.2 innings.

Gil was locked into a scoreless pitcher's duel with Kutter Crawford until the former gave up an opposite-field solo home run to Rafael Devers in the seventh. He retired one more batter after Devers and then exited the game and wound up with the loss after the Yankees ended up getting shut out. It was an encouraging showing for Gil nonetheless after he had surrendered 16 runs and posted a 6:9 K:BB in 9.2 innings over his prior three starts. Sunday was also the first time the 26-year-old managed to not walk a batter all year and the first time he reached six innings since June 4. Gil will look to generate one more strong start before the All-Star break and currently lines up to face the Orioles in Baltimore over the weekend.

Pillar said Saturday that he's "98 percent sure" he'll retire from professional baseball after this season, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Pillar made the revelation after reaching 10 years of service time, which means he will be eligible for a fully-vested pension. The 35-year-old struggled with the White Sox out of the gate this season but has slashed .305/.360/.516 in 42 games since joining the Angels in April.

Stewart (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday, Darren Wolfson of Channel 5 Saint Paul reports.

Stewart has been on the shelf since early May with right shoulder tendinitis but is ready to test himself in a game setting after getting through several throwing sessions without any hiccups. With a 0.66 ERA and 34.8 percent strikeout rate over 41 career innings with the Twins, Stewart will be a big boost to the bullpen once he returns, which should happen at the start of the second half.