MLB Player News

Grove (1-0) earned the win Saturday against the Diamondbacks, allowing no runs on one hit and no walks in three innings of relief. He struck out four.

Making his season debut for the Rays, Grove was almost perfect out of the bullpen as a bulk reliever Saturday. The 29-year-old right-hander had a delayed start to the year due to March 2025 surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, but he looks primed to serve as Tampa Bay's primary long reliever while Steven Matz (ankle) and Jesse Scholtens (wrist) are on the injured list. Grove flooded the zone for 26 strikes (34 pitches), but he certainly doesn't appear to be fully stretched out yet.

Keys went 1-for-4 with a run scored in Saturday's 7-4 loss to the Rangers.

Making his big-league debut at first base while Vladimir Guerrero got a partial breather as the DH and George Springer prepared for a potential stint on the paternity list, Keys collected his first career hit in the sixth inning and came around to score as the Blue Jays tried to claw their way back from an early 6-0 deficit. It's not clear how long Keys will remain on the 26-man roster, but the 23-year-old corner infielder could see consistent playing time while he's in the majors after producing a 1.122 OPS and seven homers in his first 18 games for Triple-A Buffalo.

Cease (4-4) took the loss Saturday, giving up four runs on four hits and five walks over 4.2 innings as the Blue Jays fell 7-4 to the Rangers. He struck out 10.

While the right-hander did rack up his fifth double-digit strikeout game of the season, Cease struggled to find the plate consistently and issued a season-high five free passes. Walks have been an issue for Cease since he returned from a hamstring strain in early June, and over four starts this month he has a 36:14 K:BB in 21.1 innings along with a 2.95 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. He'll try to tighten things up in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next weekend in Seattle.

Trout (hamstring) took 30 swings and ran at about 50 percent intensity Saturday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Trout said he took 15 swings off a tee and 15 flips, so he's not yet ready to bat in the cage or face live pitching. Still, it's notable progress for the veteran outfielder, who resumed on-field activities Tuesday. Given that he still has multiple obstacles to clear -- most importantly, running at full capacity -- Trout probably won't be activated until at least early July.

Burger went 3-for-5 with a run scored, two RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Blue Jays.

All three hits were singles, but it was still a productive afternoon for the first baseman. The multi-hit performance was Burger's third in his last six games, and over his last 18 contests he's batting a sizzling .377 (23-for-61) with three doubles, four homers, eight runs and 13 RBI. Saturday's steal was only his second of the year, but that's good enough to establish a career high for Burger.

Alexander worked a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his third save of the season in a 7-4 win over the Blue Jays. He didn't strike out a batter.

The 31-year-old southpaw hadn't picked up a save since March 30, but with Jacob Latz and Jakob Junis each having worked the prior two days, Alexander found himself handling closing duties again and got the job done. He's been scored upon in just one of eight appearances in June, posting a 1.08 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 6:2 K:BB over 8.2 innings this month. However, Alexander's high-leverage work has been limited, and he has no wins and only one hold during that time, in addition to Saturday's save.

Quantrill didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Blue Jays, scattering two hits and a walk over four scoreless innings. He struck out five.

Making just his second career start in Toronto, the Canadian right-hander blanked the Jays over 55 pitches (36 strikes) but wasn't stretched out enough to qualify for the win and take advantage of a five-run fifth inning by the Rangers. Quantrill is making a case to remain in the rotation while Jack Leiter (ankle) is on the shelf, and he'll take a 3.31 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 25:11 K:BB through 35.1 innings and 17 appearances (two starts) into his next outing, which is set to come at home next week against the Tigers.

Carpenter went 2-for-4 with a grand slam in Saturday's 8-6 loss to the Astros.

The 28-year-old slugger came to the plate with the bases loaded in the third inning and got hold of a hanging curveball from Kai-Wei Teng, depositing it in the right-field seats. It was Carpenter's 12th homer of the year and, remarkably, the first grand slam of the season for the Tigers. Carpenter's gone yard in back-to-back games, and over 22 contests in June he's batting .234 (15-for-64) with seven long balls and 18 RBI.

Valdez didn't factor into the decision Saturday, giving up four runs on eight hits over six innings as the Tigers were downed 8-6 by the Astros. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The veteran left-hander got tagged for runs in the second, third and fourth frames, but Valdez didn't issue a free pass for only the second time in 17 starts this season. He exited the mound after 88 pitches (59 strikes) in line for his fifth win before Will Vest melted down in the eighth. Through five outings and 28 innings in June, Valdez sports a 3.21 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 23:9 K:BB. He lines up to make his next trip to the mound on the road next weekend against the Rangers.

Pena went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI in Saturday's 8-6 win over the Tigers.

The shortstop continues to rake in June. Over 24 games this month, Pena is batting .326 (28-for-86) with five doubles, three homers, five steals, 13 RBI and 18 runs as he makes up for lost time after missing more than a month earlier in the season due to a hamstring strain.