MLB Player News

Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's loss to the Dodgers.

The 24-year-old backstop supplied the Mets' last gasp of offense on the night when he took Evan Phillips deep in the eighth inning. Alvarez is up to 12 homers on the season, and three of them have come in five games since the All-Star break. Over 123 plate appearances since returning from knee surgery in early June, Alvarez has produced a .274/.333/.504 slash line with eight home runs, 11 runs scored and 16 RBI.

Gilbert went 2-for-2 with a walk in Friday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Angels.

Gilbert lined a single to center field in the second inning and added another base hit in the fourth. The 25-year-old outfielder delivered his first multi-hit performance since July 5 and is now batting .256 with five RBI, three runs scored and a home run in 47 plate appearances on the month. He's slashing .233/.316/.357 with 23 runs scored, 21 RBI and four long balls across 239 plate appearances this season.

Eldridge went 1-for-2 with two walks, two runs scored and a double in Friday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Angels.

Eldridge drew a walk in the first inning before coming around to score, and he hit a ground-rule double in the third before adding another run. The 21-year-old has now logged three doubles across 18 outings in July, batting .242 with nine runs scored, seven RBI, four home runs and a stolen base in 77 plate appearances this month. Overall, he's slashing .266/.363/.472 with 32 runs scored, 23 RBI, 10 long balls and a stolen base across 248 plate appearances this season.

Robert went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's loss to the Dodgers.

The center fielder took Roki Sasaki deep in the second inning to give the Mets an early lead, although they couldn't make it hold up in an eventual 4-2 loss. It was Robert's fourth homer of the year, and his second in four games since coming off the IL following a nearly three-month absence due to back issues. The 28-year-old's checkered injury history and lack of consistent production limit his value despite the impressive physical tools he possesses when he's fully healthy, but Robert is still a player New York will likely try to move at the trade deadline.

Sears is no longer listed as the starting pitcher for Saturday's game against Miami.

Randy Vasquez will step in as San Diego's starter, but because he hasn't pitched more than three innings since June 27, Sears may still end up working in bulk relief Saturday. The 30-year-old lefty turned in one of his best outings of the season during his last appearance, allowing two runs (one earned) in five innings against Atlanta on Monday.

Soto (calf) will undergo imaging Saturday after being removed from Friday's game early, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports. "This has nagged him for a week," interim manager Andy Green said after Friday's contest. "Anytime you get an image, you're concerned."

The superstar outfielder has been dealing with a sore left calf since the first game following the All-Star break and has mostly played DH during that time while also getting Wednesday off, but that hasn't been enough to clear up the issue. Soto also missed time with a calf strain earlier this season, but that was his right calf, not his left. Over 17 games in July, Soto has managed a .218/.405/.436 slash line in 74 plate appearances with four homers, eight runs and 13 RBI.

Vasquez will start Saturday's game against the Marlins.

Vasquez will be making his first start since returning from the injured list last weekend, but because he hasn't pitched more than three innings in a game since the beginning of July, he's likely to act as more of an opener for JP Sears, who was originally in line to start Saturday's contest. Vasquez has been struggling mightily on the mound as of late, giving up 16 earned runs in just 13.1 frames across his last five appearances.

Olson went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Friday's extra-inning win over the Orioles.

The star first baseman played hero in the top of the 10th inning, taking Andrew Kittredge deep to give Atlanta a 7-3 lead in an eventual 7-6 win. Olson is up to 27 homers on the season, and seven of them have come over 20 games in July -- a stretch in which he's produced a .241/.341/.544 slash line with 11 RBI and 15 runs.

Baldwin went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's extra-inning win over the Orioles.

His eighth-inning shot off Rico Garcia tied the game at 3-3 and set the stage for a wild 10th inning that saw seven runs cross the plate in total. Baldwin has gone yard in back-to-back games and five times in eight contests since the All-Star break, with the power surge carrying him to his first career 20-homer campaign.

Smith-Shawver (elbow) is expected to make one more rehab start before being activated from the injured list, Ian Quillen of MLB.com reports.

Over four innings and 86 pitches (54 strikes) for Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday, the 23-year-old right-hander allowed just one unearned run on two hits and one walk while striking out five. Smith-Shawver has a 12:5 K:BB in 10.2 rehab innings for Gwinnett with a 1.69 ERA, but it's not yet clear if Atlanta will immediately add him to the big-league rotation once his IL stint is done -- the team is actively shopping for starting pitching at the trade deadline, and Smith-Shawver has a minor-league option remaining. If Atlanta doesn't bring in outside reinforcements, however, he could be an option to replace the struggling Reynaldo Lopez (nine runs allowed in 9.1 innings over his last two outings).