MLB Player News

Bregman went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Friday against the Twins.

Bregman accounted for the Astros' only run with his seventh home run of the season. After a slow start to the campaign, he has started to turn things around, going 8-for-24 with three home runs, five RBI and four runs scored across his last six games. Bregman still has just a .652 OPS for the season, though he has managed 26 RBI across 55 games.

Hendriks (elbow) threw fastballs and breaking balls off the front of the mound Thursday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Moving to any part of a mound represents another step forward in Hendriks' rehab from Tommy John surgery. The reliever had previously thrown off flat ground only.

Urena (1-5) took the loss Friday, giving up four runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks over 2.1 innings as the Rangers fell 8-2 to the Marlins. He struck out one.

An error by Marcus Semien in the third inning did Urena no favors, but the right-hander also wasn't fooling anyone, managing only five swinging strikes among his 65 pitches before getting the hook. Urena is on his fifth team in four seasons since leaving Miami after the 2020 campaign, and while he sports a solid 3.74 ERA and 1.34 WHIP through 45.2 innings for Texas this year, his 5.61 ERA and 1.59 WHIP over the prior three seasons suggest regression is coming. If he gets another turn through the rotation, Urena lines up for a home start next week, either Wednesday against the Tigers or Friday against the Giants.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 8-2 loss to the Marlins.

Smith cracked his third home run of the season in the fourth inning. While he won't be a 1-for-1 replacement for the injured Josh Jung (wrist), Smith has done a credible job as the Rangers' primary third baseman. Smith is batting .279/.374/.419 with three homers, 13 doubles, one triple, 22 RBI and 26 runs over 198 plate appearances.

Semien returned to the starting lineup and went 1-for-4 in Friday's 8-2 loss to Miami.

Semien was back in the lineup after he sat out Wednesday's game, breaking a streak of 349 consecutive regular-season starts. As it turns out, Semien was dealing with the residual effects of a collision with teammate Adolis Garcia, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. Texas manager Bruce Bochy said Semien was feeling "banged up," which was the reason he sat out Wednesday.

Hamilton went 3-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 7-3 win over the Tigers.

Getting the start at shortstop and batting eighth, Hamilton produced his second three-hit performance in the last eight games. The 26-year-old infielder has claimed a regular spot in Boston's starting lineup over the second half of May, and through the last 14 games he's slashing .375/.432/.575 with three doubles, a triple, a homer, four RBI, seven runs and five of his nine stolen bases on the season.

Rafaela went 2-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI in Friday's 7-3 win over the Tigers.

Per Ian Browne of MLB.com, Rafaela has made some tweaks to his swing mechanics in an attempt to get going at the plate, and the adjustments seem to be paying off. The 23-year-old put together his first career multi-homer game by launching a three-run shot off Kenta Maeda in the fourth inning before tagging Joey Wentz for a two-run blast in the sixth that just cleared the Green Monster. Over the last 11 games, Rafaela is batting .289 (11-for-38) with three homers, two steals, nine runs and 10 RBI.

Houck (5-5) picked up the win Friday, allowing one run on three hits and two walks over seven innings in a 7-3 victory over the Tigers. He struck out six.

The 27-year-old right-hander generated 30 called or swinging strikes among his 95 pitches as he delivered his third straight quality start and 10th in 12 trips to the mound this season. Houck is having a breakout campaign, and he'll take a 1.85 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 75:15 K:BB through 78 innings into his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next week against the White Sox.

Keith went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 7-3 loss to the Red Sox.

Keith connected for his second home run of the season in the eighth inning against Boston reliever Greg Weissert. After a slow start to the year, the rookie had a torrid May, slashing .342/.388/.493 with both of his home runs and 14 RBI across 24 games. If Keith keeps up this level of performance in June and beyond, he'll be a huge fantasy asset down the stretch.

Greene went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 7-3 loss to the Red Sox.

Getting the start in center field and batting second, Greene was the only Tiger to record multiple hits on the night. The 23-year-old has reached base eight times in the last four games, and on the season he's slashing .239/.343/.449 with 10 homers, two steals, 22 RBI and 37 runs through 56 contests.