MLB Player News

Rafaela went 1-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 5-2 win over Colorado.

Rafaela capped off Boston's scoring, plating the team's fifth run with an RBI single in the sixth inning. The 25-year-old outfielder is enjoying the best season of his four-year MLB career, slashing .280/.330/.437 with seven home runs, 33 RBI, nine steals and 31 runs over 73 games. Rafaela's been one of the Red Sox's most consistent hitters and he earned a promotion to the second spot in the batting order, where he's been the last 24 games.

Monasterio started at shortstop and went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Rockies.

Monasterio got the start at shortstop with Marcelo Mayer nursing a sore foot after fouling a ball off it the previous night. As the Red Sox were facing a left-hander, Colorado's Sean Sullivan, it's likely Mayer would have been held out regardless of the injury. Playing time has been sporadic for Monasterio, who's made just 28 starts and is slashing .223/.271/.355 with two home runs, 11 RBI, one steal and 12 runs scored across 45 total appearances.

Civale (5-4) allowed two runs on six hits and a hit batsman while striking out five without walking a batter over four innings to take the loss versus the Giants on Tuesday.

Civale wasn't all that efficient, but he threw 57 of 84 pitches for strikes in his second start back from shoulder tendinitis. The right-hander gave up both runs in the second inning, and the Athletics' offense had little response with just three hits for the game. Civale should be good for a full workload moving forward, though performance remains a concern. He's at a 4.88 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 46:19 K:BB through 62.2 innings over 13 starts this season. His next outing is projected to be a favorable road matchup versus the Angels this weekend.

Vargas went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Guardians.

Vargas took Parker Messick deep in the sixth inning for a solo homer that ultimately stood as the game-winning run. The blast was his 17th home run of the season. While Vargas opened June with a nine-game hitting streak, he has cooled considerably since then, batting just .139 (5-for-36) over his last 10 games with his only RBI coming from Tuesday's blast.

Schanuel went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Orioles.

Schanuel's first-inning blast was ultimately all the Angels needed in the win. This was his third multi-hit effort in a row, and it appears the first baseman is getting on track again after struggling following his return from a stint on the injured list due to an ankle issue. Schanuel is now batting .266 with a .731 OPS, six homers, 30 RBI, 26 runs scored, 13 doubles and no stolen bases over 63 contests this season.

Johnson (1-2) allowed one hit and one walk while striking out eight over six scoreless innings to earn the win over the Orioles on Tuesday.

Johnson had struggled in most of his other appearances this season, allowing three or more runs in four of his first five outings. He found something against the Orioles, throwing 63 of 90 pitches for strikes Tuesday. Over 19.1 innings across six games (three starts), Johnson still has an 8.84 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 15:9 K:BB. He appears set to do some learning on the job while filling in for Grayson Rodriguez (back) in the Angels' rotation. Johnson is tentatively projected to make his next appearance on the road versus the Mariners.

Watson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the White Sox.

One day after collecting his first major-league hit, Watson reached another milestone by belting his first career MLB home run Tuesday. The solo shot came off Sean Burke in the fifth inning and accounted for Cleveland's only run of the night. It was an encouraging performance for the 23-year-old, who has had a slow start to his big-league career. Through his first six games in the majors, Watson is batting 3-for-17 (.176) with nine strikeouts.

Baz (4-8) allowed five runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out five over five innings to take the loss Tuesday versus the Angels.

Baz gave up a two-run home run to Nolan Schanuel in the first inning, and the Orioles never got enough going on offense to bail him out. The five earned runs allowed matched Baz's season high. He's given up 16 runs (11 earned) across 22.2 innings over his last four starts, going 1-3 in that span. For the season, he has a 4.31 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 81:35 K:BB across 94 innings through 16 starts. Baz is projected to make his next start at home versus the White Sox.

Eaton went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs, two RBI, a walk and a stolen base against Colorado in a 5-2 win Tuesday.

Eaton picked up a start in left field with Jarren Duran getting a turn at DH. Manager Chad Tracy decided to put Eaton in the leadoff spot for the first time, and that worked out very well, as the 30-year-old reached base four times. Eaton came into Tuesday having gotten on base just three times over 10 plate appearances, so there probably weren't many who foresaw this big performance coming. Eaton has started three of Boston's past four games, and his effort Tuesday could prompt Tracy to continue including him in the lineup.

Newcomb earned the save Tuesday against the Guardians, allowing one walk while striking out two over 2.2 scoreless innings.

With the closer committee of Seranthony Dominguez, Grant Taylor and Bryan Hudson all pitching each of the previous two days, Newcomb was called upon after Sean Burke delivered 6.1 innings of one-run ball. The veteran left-hander took over from there and worked around a lone walk to secure his second save of the season. Newcomb has been excellent since the start of May, posting a 1.50 ERA during that stretch. He now owns a 2.44 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 46:12 K:BB across 48 innings this season.