MLB Player News

Brown went 2-for-5 with an RBI single in a win over the Tigers on Sunday.

Brown put the final run of the afternoon on the board for the Athletics with his ninth-inning single, which plated Zack Gelof. The lefty swinging slugger nearly matched his season-long hit total coming in with his first multi-hit effort of the campaign, as Brown had been mired in a 3-for-27 slump to start 2024 prior to Sunday's success. The 31-year-old, who laced 122 extra-base hits over the last three seasons, has yet to produce anything more impactful than a single over his first 10 games.

Melendez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 5-3 win over the White Sox.

Melendez got the start at designated hitter with Nelson Velazquez in left field against White Sox southpaw Garrett Crochet. Melendez didn't find any success against Crochet, but he was able to take righty reliever Deivi Garcia deep for a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning. With three homers over his last four games, Melendez is off to a great start this season. He's added eight RBI, five runs scored and four doubles over 34 plate appearances, and his presence in the lineup against a southpaw suggests he has at least a path to more than a strong-side platoon role.

Toro went 2-for-4 with an RBI infield single and two runs in a loss to the Tigers on Sunday.

Toro led off for the first time this season and did a solid job out of the top of the order, setting the table twice and posting his first multi-hit effort of the season. Toro now as an RBI in back-to-back appearances as well, and he should continue to see intermittent playing time at third base and designated hitter.

Mountcastle went 3-for-4 with two doubles, one RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Pirates.

Mountcastle had cooled off entering Sunday, going 1-for-16 over his previous four games before breaking out of the slump. He was involved in both of the Orioles' runs, hitting an RBI double and coming around to score on an Anthony Santander single in the fourth inning. Mountcastle is batting .294 with a home runs, eight RBI, four runs scored, five doubles and a 4:7 BB:K over nine contests. He looks to have a steady role at first base and a spot in the heart of the order.

Maldonado is not in the lineup for Monday's contest in Cleveland, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Korey Lee will do the catching for opener Tanner Banks. Maldonado had started each of the previous games and has now been behind the plate in seven of the White Sox' 10 contests thus far.

Butler entered Sunday's win over the Tigers in the fourth inning as a replacement for Brent Rooker (abdomen) and went 2-for-3 with a double.

Butler originally had the day off in the midst of a multi-game funk, but the speedy outfielder's time on the bench didn't last long. The unexpected taste of action actually worked out well for Butler, who produced his first multi-hit effort of the season and snapped out of a 1-for-12 skid that had encompassed his previous four games. Despite a productive afternoon that also included his second extra-base hit of the season, Butler is still carrying a forgettable .185/.290/.259 slash line across his first 31 plate appearances of the new campaign.

Richards walked two and struck out two in a scoreless inning of relief during Sunday's loss to the Yankees.

The 30-year-old right-hander has come up big for the Blue Jays bullpen in the early going while Jordan Romano (elbow) and Erik Swanson (forearm) have been on the shelf. Richards has appeared in six of Toronto's first 10 games, posting a 0.00 ERA and 8:3 K:BB over 5.2 innings while giving up only two hits -- although he did allow an inherited runner to score on a wild pitch Sunday. He hasn't seen a lot of high-leverage usage and only has one hold so far, but Richards' ability to work longer outings and collect bulk strikeouts with solid ratios gives him some fantasy value in deep AL-only formats.

Fry will start at designated hitter and bat third in Monday's game versus the White Sox.

The White Sox are going with an opener in lefty Tanner Banks, so putting the right-handed hitting Fry in the third spot ensures at least one plate appearance versus a southpaw. Three of Fry's four starts this season have come against lefties, and he's 3-for-5 with a double versus them in the early going.

Naylor is not in the lineup for Monday's contest against the White Sox.

Naylor had started each of the previous six games (four at catcher, two at designated hitter) but will take a seat Monday against left-handed opener Tanner Banks. He's a possibility to pinch hit at some point for Austin Hedges, who will do the catching for Triston McKenzie.

Gausman averaged 91.4 mph with his fastball during Saturday's loss to the Yankees, but the veteran right-hander isn't concerned, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Gausman averaged 94.7 mph with his heater in 2023, but his velocity was also down significantly in an early April start last year in Kansas City, and it didn't end up being any kind of warning sign as he went on to post a 3.16 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 31.1 percent strikeout rate over 185 innings. "That's kind of the running joke, I'm 88 to 98," Gausman said after Saturday's game. "[Hitters] don't know what they're going to get. I don't know what I'm going to get, either. I think it was just cold weather more than anything. My first two innings, if you're going to get to me, that's when you're going to get to me. Unfortunately, that was obviously the case tonight." Gausman lines up to make his next start at home this weekend in a much more favorable matchup against the Rockies.