MLB Player News

Hernandez (lat) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday.

Hernandez struck out one over a scoreless inning in his first appearance with Round Rock. The plan is for him to make a handful of rehab appearances, including working on back-to-back day, before he rejoins the Rangers' bullpen.

Walsh went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Rays.

The lefty-batting Walsh made a fourth consecutive start at first base, including one against a lefty, and has hit safely in all four, going 7-for-18 with two extra-base hits, three RBI and five runs. The season started as a likely platoon of Walsh (against righties) and Ezequiel Duran (lefties) while primary first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (oblique) recovers. However, third baseman Josh Jung's wrist injury, which is expected to keep him sidelined for at least six weeks, may require Duran to help fill that void.

Duran entered Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay as a pinch hitter and stayed in the game at third base. He went 0-for-1 with a walk.

Duran pinch hit for Josh Smith, who had started at third base in place of the injured Josh Jung (thumb). The lefty-batting Smith started against a right-hander, while Duran cane into the game once a left-handed reliever entered for the Rays. While those two could form a platoon as Jung rehabs for at least the next six weeks, Justin Foscue could get opportunities there, too. Foscue was called up Tuesday and played 35 games at the hot corner while at Triple-A Round Rock in 2023.

Heim went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Tuesday's loss to the Rays.

Heim finally got the Rangers on the board with an RBI single in the seventh and then later plated Jared Walsh in the ninth. The 29-year-old is up to three RBI on the year, though he has shown little power early on.

Smith started at third base and went 1-for-2 in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Rays.

Smith made the first start at third base following the wrist injury suffered by Josh Jung during Monday's contest. Jung underwent surgery and is estimated to be out at least six weeks. With righty Zach Eflin on the mound for Tampa Bay, manager Bruce Bochy had the lefty-hitting Smith open the game, but the manager later had Ezequiel Duran pinch hit against lefty reliever Colin Poche and finish the game at third base. That suggests a platoon may be in the offing while Jung rehabs; however, Justin Foscue could enter the mix. He was called up from Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday and played 35 games at third base in 2023.

Crochet (1-1) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing one run on three hits and a walk over seven innings in a 3-2 victory over Atlanta. He struck out eight.

That's now back-to-back quality starts and back-to-back eight-strikeout performances for Crochet, as the left-hander makes the White Sox look like geniuses for moving him into the rotation. He blanked one of the most potent offenses in baseball for six innings before Marcell Ozuna finally tagged him for a solo shot in the seventh. Crochet left the mound having generated 18 swinging strikes on his 93 pitches, and through his first two career starts he sports a 1.38 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 16:1 K:BB through 13 innings. He tentatively lines up to make his next trip to the mound this weekend in Kansas City.

Heaney (0-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Rays after allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out seven in 4.2 innings. He did not issue a walk.

Heaney started the game on fire, striking out four of the first seven batters he faced. He endured some tough luck in the third after the Rays scored on a base hit that likely would've been a ground out had the ball not deflected off Heaney's glove. The southpaw opened up the fifth with back-to-back punchouts but couldn't finish the frame after a Jared Walsh error kept the inning alive and led to four more runs, none of which were charged to Heaney. He's set to take the mound again next week versus the Astros and will hope for some better fortune against the Rangers' division rivals.

Paredes went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer in Tuesday's win over the Rangers.

Paredes tallied his second home run of the season with a three-run blast off Yerry Rodriguez in the fifth inning to put the Rays up 5-0. After going hitless through his first two games, Paredes now has three hits over his last 10 at-bats and has managed to reach base with a walk and a hit-by-pitch as well.

Eflin (1-1) picked up the win over the Rangers on Tuesday after allowing one run on five hits and a walk while striking out five over 6.1 innings.

Eflin needed just 69 pitches to get through six innings before running into some trouble in the seventh. He allowed two hits to the first three batters he faced that inning before a Jonah Heim single drove in the Rangers' first run of the day and led to Eflin being pulled from the game. It was a major bounce-back performance against one of the league's most dangerous lineups after Eflin struggled a bit in his first start of the year. He's lined up to take the mound on the road against the Angels early next week.

Hicks went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, two RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Marlins.

Hicks broke a scoreless tie with a fourth-inning home run off Jesus Luzardo and later added on with an RBI-single in the seventh. Those were his first two hits of the season after opening up the campaign 0-for-11 at the plate. Hicks has slotted in the No. 2 spot in the batting order in three of his four starts so far, giving him some appeal when hitting right in front of Mike Trout.