MLB Player News

Kurtz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-3 win over the Pirates.

The rookie slugger took Mitch Keller deep in the fourth inning to kick off a rally from an early 3-0 deficit. Kurtz is up to 33 homers on the season, tying him with Jose Canseco for the second-most in franchise history by a rookie behind Mark McGwire's legendary 1987 season, when he set a then-MLB record with 49. Like those two former A's stars, Kurtz seems like a lock for the AL Rookie of the Year Award given his .293/.387/.620 slash line through his first 109 games.

Williams went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Friday against the Red Sox.

Williams took Garrett Crochet deep for a solo home run in the fourth inning, his second long ball in as many games. He has struggled for long portions of his first stint in the majors, fueled primarily by a 36.7 percent strikeout rate across 79 plate appearances. However, Williams has a modest three-game hitting streak and has struck out only twice across his last 11 plate appearances.

Pereira went 1-for-5 with a grand slam Friday against the Red Sox.

The Rays rolled out a unique lineup with lefty Garrett Crochet on the mound, with Pereira hitting leadoff for the first time this season. He struck out in three of his first four plate appearances, but he smacked the first grand slam and second homer of his career in the ninth inning. Pereira is being used sparingly, starting only six games in September.

Kelly recorded his second save of the season in Friday's 4-3 win over the Pirates, giving up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning without striking out a batter.

The right-hander made things interesting, giving up a leadoff double and then escaping a one-out jam with runners on the corners by getting Tommy Pham to ground into a double play. Kelly has two of the A's four saves this week, with Hogan Harris collecting the other two, and the two arms appear to be manager Mark Kotsay's top ninth-inning options as the season draws to a close, depending on matchups. Over 7.1 innings in September, Kelly sports a 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 7:3 K:BB.

Means (elbow) allowed three runs on four hits while striking out four over 5.1 innings for Triple-A Columbus on Friday.

Means threw 84 pitches (52 strikes) in his seventh rehab start and fifth at Triple-A. The outing is expected to be his final rehab outing, and the left-hander could join the Guardians next week as they vie for a playoff spot. Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt told Patrick Donnelly of MLB.com on Friday that he's considering adding Means to the roster but will wait to see how the pitcher responds. The Guardians are already working with a six-man rotation, but Means could offer length out of the bullpen.

Severino (7-11) picked up the win in Friday's 4-3 victory over the Pirates, giving up three runs (one earned) on seven hits and one walk over five innings. He struck out three.

The right-hander looked like he was headed for another rough outing when Pittsburgh ambushed him for three runs in the first inning and then banged out two hits in the second, but Severino kept his focus and avoided any further damage before being lifted after 97 pitches (64 strikes). Despite getting tagged for three or more runs in three of four September starts, Severino still hasn't taken a loss since the All-Star break. On the month, he's posted a 4.05 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 16:5 K:BB through 20 innings. He'll look to play spoiler in the race for the AL West title in his final trip to the mound this season, which lines up to come at home next week against the Astros.

Ramirez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, a steal and two runs scored in Friday's 6-2 win over the Twins.

Ramirez walked and scored in the first inning before he doubled and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth. He's scored runs in five consecutive games, crossing home plate seven times while going 6-for-18 with five walks, three steals, one home run and three RBI. Ramirez also stole a base in the eighth inning, upping his season total to 40, his second consecutive season with at least 40 steals.

Torkelson went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 10-1 loss to Atlanta.

He spoiled a potential shutout bid for Bryce Elder by taking the right-hander deep in the fourth inning. The long ball was Torkelson's 30th of the season, the second time he's reached that milestone in his career, and he's been on a tear in September as Detroit tries to hang onto its lead in the AL Central. Over his last nine games, the first baseman is batting .371 (13-for-35) with two homers, three RBI and six runs.

Morton (9-11) allowed six runs on five hits across just 1.1 innings to take the loss Friday against Atlanta. He walked two and struck out two.

Morton struggled badly in his shortest start of the year. The veteran righty has turned in a few nice outings since joining the Tigers at the trade deadline, but he's mostly been underwhelming with a 7.09 ERA across 39.1 innings in nine appearances. Morton is slated to make one more regular-season start Thursday against the Guardians. The 41-year-old will likely shift to the bullpen in the playoffs given his struggles as a starter, if he makes the postseason roster at all.

Diaz went 3-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Friday's 11-7 loss to the Red Sox.

Diaz was strong in a losing effort, reaching base four times for the second time in three days and giving the Rays an early lead with a solo homer in the third inning. The 34-year-old has stayed red hot in September, batting .429 with seven extra-base hits, eight RBI, 13 runs scored and a 12:8 BB:K through 17 games. On the season, he's slashing .300/.365/.488 with 25 home runs, 82 RBI, 76 runs scored and three steals across a career-high 631 plate appearances.