MLB Player News

Castro went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a hit-by-pitch in Sunday's 11-2 loss to the Brewers.

Castro reached the 10-homer mark on the year with this blast, one of four the utility man has hit in July. He's added 11 RBI while batting .197 (13-for-66) with 24 strikeouts over 19 games this month. For the season, Castro is hitting .258 with a .724 OPS, 44 RBI, 45 runs scored, 15 doubles and seven stolen bases over 91 contests, but his rate stats are likely to come down if he continues to whiff.

Carrigg went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 11-2 loss to the Brewers.

Jacob Misiorowski was perfect for 4.2 innings before Carrigg's solo shot. The long ball ended a 15-game homer drought for Carrigg, who still hit .280 with six doubles and six RBI in that span. The outfielder is batting .287 with an .879 OPS, five homers, 26 RBI, 30 runs scored, nine doubles, three triples and three stolen bases over his first 39 games in the majors. As expected, there hasn't been much power in Carrigg's bat, but he could still make some gains with speed, and he's maintained a good eye at the plate.

Freeland (2-10) allowed five runs on six hits and a walk while striking out two over 5.1 innings to take the loss versus the Brewers on Sunday.

Freeland has reverted to poor form lately, allowing 19 runs across 22.1 innings over his last four starts, three of which have come on the road. He has a 17:3 K:BB in that span, but he's also given up five home runs. For the season, the southpaw has a 7.34 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 85:21 K:BB through 99.1 innings over 19 starts. His 7.7 K/9 is one of the better marks of his career and his 1.9 BB/9 is his best, but a 1.9 HR/9 has largely held him back, resulting in a career-worst ERA. Freeland's next start is projected to be at home versus the Royals.

Triple-A Nashville placed Williams (wrist) on the 7-day injured list Wednesday.

Williams hadn't played since July 7 due to the wrist injury before Nashville decided to deactivate him. The 22-year-old shortstop has produced a .234/.341/.385 slash line with nine home runs and 21 stolen bases across 358 plate appearances at Nashville this season, his first in the Brewers organization after he was acquired in January as part of the deal that sent Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers to the Mets.

Bauers went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in Sunday's 11-2 win over the Rockies.

Bauers has multiple hits and a steal in back-to-back contests. Prior to this recent burst of productivity, he had gone just 4-for-30 over a 10-game span from July 11-24. The 30-year-old is picking up steady time in right field in the absence of Sal Frelick (shoulder), though Bauers moves to first base when Andrew Vaughn is on the bench. Bauers is batting .263 with an .855 OPS, 18 home runs, eight steals, 60 RBI, 62 runs scored, 16 doubles and one triple over 96 contests this season.

Montgomery secured the save Sunday against the Cubs, allowing two runs on two hits and no walks in the ninth inning. He struck out two.

It was interesting to see Pittsburgh deploy Montgomery in the ninth over Gregory Soto, who's been the club's primary closer this season and last worked Friday. Montgomery appears to be working his way up the bullpen ladder following the departure of Dennis Santana, but he barely survived Sunday and needed every bit of the 8-5 lead he was granted. Through 42.1 innings, Montgomery has a 4.04 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 65:19 K:BB with two saves in two chances.

Vaughn went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a second RBI in Sunday's 11-2 win over the Rockies.

Vaughn went deep in the sixth inning and added a sacrifice fly in the eighth. He's hit safely in five of his seven games since the All-Star break, going 6-for-21 (.286) with two homers and four RBI in that span. For the season, the first baseman is batting .308 with an .878 OPS, four homers, 28 RBI, 23 runs scored, 15 doubles, two triples and no stolen bases over 194 plate appearances.

Misiorowski (11-4) allowed one run on one hit and a hit batsman while striking out 12 and walking none over five innings to earn the win over the Rockies on Sunday.

The lone hit Misiorowski allowed was a Cole Carrigg home run in the fifth inning. Misiorowski is still working back from a bout of arm fatigue, but he threw 59 of 83 pitches for strikes in this short but dominant performance. This is the ninth time he's logged double-digit strikeouts this season and the fourth time he's done it in fewer than six innings. Misiorowski is at a 1.58 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 185:28 K:BB through 120 innings over 20 starts. Expect the Brewers to keep his workload from getting out of hand down the stretch, but he's still a reliable fantasy option virtually every time he takes the hill. He's tentatively penciled in for a favorable road start versus the Angels in his next appearance.

Ashcraft (10-4) earned the win Sunday against the Cubs, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out five.

Ashcraft hardly pitched well enough to deserve the win Sunday, but he received plenty of run support while Pittsburgh jumped out to an early 7-1 lead. The right-hander had a strong 2.77 ERA for the season through the month of May but has struggled mightily overall since the beginning of June, posting a 6.04 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over his last 47.2 innings (nine starts). Ashcraft is set to take a 4.05 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 135:30 K:BB across 122.1 frames into his next scheduled outing in Cincinnati.

Taillon (2-6) took the loss Sunday against the Pirates, allowing seven runs on six hits and two walks in four innings. He struck out three.

Taillon was clobbered by the Pittsburgh bats Sunday, serving up three home runs and a double as well. The 34-year-old right-hander has been stung by the long ball all year long -- he's tied with Zack Littell and Aaron Nola for the National League lead with 25 homers allowed despite making six fewer appearances than those other two hurlers. Taillon is set to bring a 5.92 ERA, his career-worst mark, 1.36 WHIP and 68:27 K:BB over 76 innings into a tough matchup against the Yankees.