MLB Player News

Williams (elbow) struck out five over 2.1 innings and allowed three earned runs on three hits and two walks Tuesday in his second rehab start with Triple-A Columbus.

After covering just one inning and tossing 32 pitches while giving up two runs in his first rehab start with Columbus last Thursday, Williams upped his pitch count to 46 (29 strikes) Tuesday. Williams' control has wavered a bit over his first two rehab outings, but so long as he avoids any further setbacks with his right elbow, he should remain on track to return from the 60-day injured list at some point later this month. He'll likely require two more rehab starts before he's ready to make his 2024 debut for the Guardians.

Rengifo went 2-for-3 with a walk, a steal and an RBI in Tuesday's win over the Padres.

Rengifo plated the Angels' first run with a base hit in the third and wound up being stranded on second after notching his 14th steal and second in as many games. He now has at least a hit in four straight games and is slashing .390/.419/.512 with three RBI, eight runs and a 2:4 BB:K in 43 plate appearances since May 24.

Clase walked one and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his 19th save of the season in an 8-5 win over the Royals.

It didn't look like Clase would even get a save chance when the Guardians fell behind 5-0 early, but the right-hander had little trouble securing the comeback victory. Clase is tied for the league lead in saves with the Cardinals' Ryan Helsley, and the Cleveland closer hasn't given up an earned run since April 14 en route to a sparkling 0.30 ERA and 0.63 WHIP through 30.1 innings with a 31:3 K:BB.

McKenzie came away with a no-decision in Tuesday's 8-5 win over the Royals, surrendering five runs on nine hits -- including three home runs -- and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out seven.

He was taken deep twice by Bobby Witt and once by Hunter Renfroe as McKenzie dug a 5-0 hole through four innings, but the Guardians were able to climb out of it. The right-hander's suddenly having trouble keeping the ball in the park -- after serving up only six homers over his first nine starts of the season, McKenzie's coughed up multiple long balls in three straight outings and has a 7.04 ERA over that stretch. He'll try to turn things around in his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come on the road this weekend in Miami.

Moore went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run in a win over the Athletics on Tuesday.

Moore didn't log one of his trademark extra-base hits, but he still found a way to make an impact by working himself into scoring position after his fourth-inning single with the help of his ninth steal. The 31-year-old remains in a multi-game funk, however, as he's just 3-for-25 over the last seven contests, a span during which he's reached via a trio of singles, one walk and three hit-by-pitches.

Witt went 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI in Tuesday's 8-5 loss to the Guardians.

The 23-year-old superstar took Triston McKenzie deep in the third and fourth innings to help stake the Royals to an early 5-0 lead, but Seth Lugo and the bullpen couldn't make it hold up. Witt has hit safely in 16 of the last 17 games, a stretch in which he's slashing .378/.400/.716 with six homers, two steals, 15 runs and 23 RBI.

France went 1-for-3 with a two-run double, a walk and a run in a win over the Athletics on Tuesday.

The veteran infielder squared up for a third-inning two-bagger that brought home J.P. Crawford and Josh Rojas with the first two runs of the night, France's eighth and ninth RBI over the last nine games. France has shown a bit more pop in his bat than usual during that span, posting four extra-base hits overall (two doubles, two home runs) on his way to a .333 average and 1.044 OPS across 36 plate appearances. The sample has also featured a welcome increase and drop in walk and strikeout rates, respectively, as he's drawn free passes at a 13.9 percent clip and struck out in a modest 16.7 percent of his plate appearances.

Lugo came away with a no-decision in Tuesday's 8-5 loss to the Guardians, coughing up five runs on six hits and a walk over six-plus innings. He struck out five.

Kansas City staked the veteran right-hander to a 5-0 lead, but homers by Josh Naylor in the bottom of the fourth inning and Tyler Freeman in the seventh fueled a Cleveland comeback. Lugo tossed 64 of 98 pitches for strikes before exiting, as he lasted at least six innings for the seventh time in his last eight trips to the mound, a stretch in which he sports a 2.19 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 57:12 K:BB through 53.1 innings. He'll look to bounce back in his next start, which lines up to come at home this weekend against the Mariners.

Rojas went 3-for-5 with an RBI infield single, a double and a run in a win over the Athletics on Tuesday.

Rojas brought home Dylan Moore with his fourth-inning knock to extend the Mariners' lead to 4-1 at the time, marking only his second RBI in the last 15 games. In contrast, the two-bagger was Rojas' fifth during that same stretch, although those are his only extra-base hits dating back to May 5. Despite the overall lack of pop recently, Rojas is still one of the Mariners' more consistent bats with a .288 average and .781 OPS across 177 plate appearances.

The Red Sox recalled Kelly from Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday.

He'll join the 26-man active roster and the bullpen as a replacement for right-hander Chris Martin, who was placed on the 15-day injured list due to anxiety. Kelly has previously made 11 appearances for the big club this season, accruing a 2.16 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 16.2 innings.