MLB Player News

The Blue Jays optioned Burr to Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

He's clearing out to make room on the roster for Yariel Rodriguez, who is coming off the injured list and is expected to start Friday's game in Cleveland. Burr has permitted three runs (two earned) over 3.2 frames out of the Toronto bullpen this season.

Gelof went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in a loss to the Royals on Thursday.

Gelof temporarily tied the score with his two-run shot off Seth Lugo in the seventh inning. After a slow start to the season, the second baseman has perked up with the bat of late, going deep in each of his past three contests and driving in seven runs across his past four games. Gelof's strikeout woes have continued over that span, though, as he's fanned eight times to push his strikeout rate on the season up to an ugly 34.7 percent.

Fermin went 3-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs in a 3-2 win over Oakland on Thursday.

Fermin accounted for both Royals runs against Oakland starter Mitch Spence, belting a solo shot in each of the second and fourth frames. The backstop had just two homers across 138 plate appearances coming into the contest, though he flashed some power by going deep nine times over 235 plate appearances last year. Fermin has swung a solid stick with a .303/.352/.447 slash line this season, and he's being rewarded with increased opportunities. Over Kansas City's past five games, Fermin has started four times (three times at catcher and once at DH).

Spence allowed two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over six innings in a no-decision against Kansas City on Thursday.

Spence was victimized by Kansas City catcher Freddy Fermin, who who belted a pair of solo homers against him. However, Spence fared well against the remainder of the Royals lineup and finished with his second quality start of the campaign despite the two long balls he surrendered. Spence's seven strikeouts Thursday were a career-best mark and well above his season norm -- he entered the contest with either three of four punchouts in each of his previous six outings.

Stratton earned a save against the Athletics on Thursday by retiring both batters he faced.

Regular closer James McArthur was deployed in a high-leverage situation in the seventh frame and ended up with the victory despite allowing two hits and two walks over one inning of work. That left the door to a save chance open for Stratton, who entered Thursday with three saves on the season but none since May 20. Stratton got the job done against Oakland in a tough spot, as he entered with two runners on base and just one out. The right-hander could see a few additional ninth-inning opportunities along the way, though McArthur remains the favorite for saves in Kansas City.

Lugo allowed two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out eight batters over 6.2 innings in a no-decision against Oakland on Thursday.

Lugo held the A's scoreless until Zack Gelof tagged him for a two-run homer with two outs in the seventh inning. The blast tied the game, costing Lugo a chance at his 11th win of the campaign. The right-hander nonetheless notched his 12th quality start, which is tied for the MLB lead. Lugo has reached that mark with an excellent 2.42 ERA and 1.07 WHIP through 104 innings.

O'Hearn went 2-for-5 with a walk and four RBI in Thursday's 17-5 win over the Yankees.

O'Hearn logged his third multi-hit effort in his last four contests. The lefty slugger is batting .358 (19-for-53) with 12 RBI over 16 games in June. He's up to a .289/.347/.477 slash line with nine home runs, 30 RBI, 26 runs scored, two stolen bases and eight doubles over 59 games. O'Hearn will continue to play in a strong-side platoon role with few opportunities to step into the lineup versus southpaws.

Hays went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Thursday's 17-5 win over the Yankees.

Hays has gone 9-for-24 (.375) over his last nine games, though he also has a 1:7 BB:K in that span. The outfielder has had to settle for a short-side platoon role in left field recently, sharing the position with Colton Cowser. For the year, Hays has a .239/.298/.381 slash line with three homers, 12 RBI, 14 runs scored, seven doubles and no stolen bases over 45 contests.

Rutschman went 3-for-5 with a double, two walks and three runs scored in Thursday's 17-5 win over the Yankees.

This was the catcher's second multi-hit effort over his last nine games, a span in which he's gone a meager 7-for-35 (.200). Rutschman started the year hot at the plate, but his struggles haven't cost him much playing time and he remains productive. He's hitting .293 with an .814 OPS, 14 home runs, 53 RBI, 39 runs scored and one stolen base over 70 contests this season.

Santander went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run and a walk in Thursday's 17-5 win over the Yankees.

Santander has gone 8-for-25 (.320) with five homers and 11 RBI over his last six games. The outfielder is up to 19 homers on the year, with 10 of them coming in June. He's slashing .230/.304/.502 on the year while adding 48 RBI, 42 runs scored and 13 doubles over 70 contests. Santander has finished below a .260 batting average in each of the previous three seasons, so it's not unusual for him to make most of his impact with power.