MLB Player News

Zavala started at catcher and went 0-for-1 with a walk in an extra-inning loss to the White Sox on Thursday.

Making his first appearance of any kind since June 1, Zavala was able to reach base for the first time since May 23 via his one walk. The 30-year-old backstop has seen Cal Raleigh, who eventually replaced him in Thursday's game, draw the overwhelming majority of starts behind the dish, and more recently, Mitch Garver has filled in at catcher on a handful of occasions as well. Zavala's playing time figures to remain sparse, barring injury to one of the two veterans in front of him.

Moore went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in his return from paternity leave during an extra-inning loss against the White Sox on Thursday.

Moore had sat out the previous two games while on leave, and he went down on strikes three times against masterful White Sox starter Garrett Crochet before also logging one final punchout when facing reliever Michael Kopech. Since hitting safely in back-to-back games May 25-26, Moore has been mired in a nightmarish slump, going 4-for-42 with a single extra-base hit (a double) and a 38.8 percent strikeout across his last 13 contests.

Locklear went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in an extra-inning loss to the White Sox on Thursday.

Garrett Crochet dominated Seattle with 13 punchouts over seven frames, and Locklear accounted for the only run against the hurler with a solo blast in the fifth inning. The long ball was Locklear's first as a major-leaguer and just his second extra-base hit of any type. Locklear has started four of five games since being called up June 9 and has hit .250 (4-for-16) with two runs and two RBI. He's struggled to make contact with a 35.3 percent strikeout rate thus far, and he could head back to the minors when Ty France (heel) is cleared to return, which could happen early next week.

Rodriguez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Thursday in an extra-inning loss to the White Sox.

Rodriguez was hitless in his first three at-bats but came up big in his fourth trip to the plate, smashing a game-tying solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning. The long ball was just his second across 17 contests since he went deep in back-to-back games May 25-26. Rodriguez has 16 thefts this season but has been fairly disappointing otherwise with just six homers, 26 RBI, 34 runs and a .268/.317/.354 slash line through 300 plate appearances.

Vaughn went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Thursday's 3-2 extra-inning win over the Mariners.

Vaughn opened the scoring in the contest with a solo homer to center field in the third inning and later produced the game-winning RBI with a run-scoring groundout in the 10th. The first baseman has been swinging a hot bat of late with six multi-hit efforts over his past 10 contests. Vaughn has reached safely via hit or walk in 14 consecutive games and is slashing .327/.373/.600 with four homers, seven RBI and 10 runs over that span.

Hancock allowed two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out one batter over seven innings in a no-decision against the White Sox on Thursday.

Hancock was called up from the minors Thursday morning so that he could make his first MLB start in over a month. The right-hander rose to the challenge, tossing seven innings for the first time this season and limiting Chicago to a pair of third-inning runs. As usual, strikeouts weren't a big part of his outing -- he has just 24 punchouts across 41.1 big-league innings this season -- but he nonetheless picked up his fourth quality start. Hancock could remain in the rotation if Bryan Woo (forearm) is forced to miss additional time, but that may not happen given that Woo's MRI on Wednesday came back clean.

Banks earned a save against Seattle on Thursday, striking out two batters in a perfect 10th inning.

Michael Kopech got the opportunity to notch a save in the ninth, but he blew the chance by serving up a game-tying solo shot to Julio Rodriguez. Chicago was able to push across a run in the top of the 10th, and Banks was handed the ball with a chance to earn a save in the bottom of that frame. The left-hander looked good doing so, fanning the first two batters he faced before ending the game by inducing a flyout. It was Banks' second save this season, and he has a 4.73 ERA though 32.1 innings. He isn't likely to see consistent save chances despite Kopech's struggles in the closer role.

Kopech (2-6) blew a save but earned the win over the Mariners on Thursday, allowing one run on one hit while striking out two batters over one inning.

Kopech was summoned in the ninth inning to try to protect a one-run Chicago lead but served up a one-out, game-tying solo shot to Julio Rodriguez. To his credit, Kopech bounced back to retire the next two batters and send the game to extra frames, and he was credited with a win as a result of the White Sox pushing across a run in the 10th. Kopech hasn't been very effective in a closing role for Chicago -- he hasn't notched a save since May 15 and is just 5-for-9 in save opportunities this season. He has a 4.91 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 29.1 innings, though his 13.2 K/9 is characteristic of what most teams look for from a closer.

Crochet allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out 13 batters over seven innings in a no-decision against Seattle on Thursday.

Crochet was absolutely dominant in the outing, inducing 24 swinging strikes and finishing with a career-high 13 punchouts. The only run against the southpaw came via Tyler Locklear's first career homer in the fifth inning, and Crochet was in line for the victory before Michael Kopech blew a save opportunity in the ninth. Despite a few rough starts in April, Crochet has been a revelation for the White Sox and for fantasy managers this season. Over his past nine starts, he's recorded a 1.36 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 76:11 K:BB over 53 innings. Crochet is tied with Tyler Glasnow for the major-league lead with 116 punchouts on the campaign.

Soderstrom went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a loss to the Twins on Thursday.

Soderstrom got Oakland off to a strong start with a two-run blast in the second inning, but the team was unable to add any additional offense thereafter. The long ball gave the suddenly hot first baseman three homers over his past four games and extended his hitting streak to five contests. Soderstrom is slashing .353/.450/.882 with six RBI, five runs and a 3:2 BB:K over that stretch.