MLB Player News
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Nick Martinez SP | TB
Reds' Nick Martinez: Receiving another start
The Reds list Martinez as their starting pitcher for Friday's series opener versus the Brewers in Cincinnati.
After a brief stint in the bullpen, Martinez moved back into the rotation last week when Nick Lodolo (finger) landed on the injured list. The veteran righty proceeded to deliver a gem in Saturday's win over the Pirates, striking out four over seven innings while allowing just one earned run on four hits and two walks to earn himself another turn through the rotation. With the Reds set to get Hunter Greene (groin) back from the IL to start Wednesday's game against the Phillies and with Martinez receiving another start, rookie Chase Burns appears likely to have his turn in the rotation skipped for at least this week. Manager Terry Francona acknowledged Monday that Burns will be facing some workload restrictions as the season winds down, so the Reds could shift him to the bullpen in order to help manage his innings count while also allowing the team to keep a five-man rotation intact.
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Paul DeJong SS | DET
Nationals' Paul DeJong: Third straight multi-hit game
DeJong went 2-for-4 with a walk and a two-run home run in Monday's loss to the Royals.
Getting the start at third base, DeJong took Daniel Lynch deep in the fifth inning to provide the Nationals with their final offense of the night. DeJong has three straight multi-hit performances, with the prior two starts coming at second base while Luis Garcia was dealing with back tightness. Garcia returned to the starting nine Monday, but interim manager Miguel Cairo will be motivated to keep DeJong in the lineup given his hot bat -- over 40 plate appearances since the All-Star break, the veteran utility infielder is slashing .333/.375/.639 with two doubles, three homers, two steals and seven RBI.
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Josh Bell DH | MIN
Nationals' Josh Bell: Stays hot with 15th homer
Bell went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Monday's loss to the Royals.
The streaky slugger took Bailey Falter deep in the first inning, but the Nationals couldn't hold onto that early lead. Bell has four extra-base hits -- two doubles and two homers -- in the last three games, and over 18 contests since the All-Star break he's slashing .311/.440/.557 with four of his 15 long balls on the season.
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Josiah Gray SP | WAS
Nationals' Josiah Gray: Still limited to bullpen sessions
Gray (elbow) continues to throw bullpen sessions at the Nationals' spring training complex in Florida, but the team has no immediate plans to have him face live pitching, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
The right-hander is now over a year removed from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace, and he's been throwing side sessions since June. While Gray has indicated he would like to make a few starts in the majors before the end of the season, the organization doesn't seem to have much urgency to accelerate his rehab. The Nationals haven't yet ruled Gray out from pitching in 2025, but at this point, the organization appears to be targeting next spring for his return to a big-league mound.
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Dylan Crews RF | WAS
Nationals' Dylan Crews: Could return for homestand
Crews (oblique) will remain on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester through Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
The 23-year-old outfielder played full nine-inning games Saturday and Sunday with Rochester, but with the Nationals not in the playoff picture, they have little incentive to rush Crews back from the oblique strain that has kept him on the injured list since May 21. Through 11 games during his rehab assignment, Crews is batting .278 with two home runs and a 1:6 BB:K. Washington could be waiting until it wraps up its current road trip before bringing him back from the IL for its home series against the Phillies that begins Thursday.
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Brandon Williamson SP | CIN
Reds' Brandon Williamson: Throwing program paused
Williamson (elbow) recently began throwing from a mound at the Reds' training facility in Goodyear (Ariz.) but has returned to Cincinnati, MLB.com reports.
The report indicates Williamson was told to "throttle back," which suggests the stress of throwing from a mound was too much for the left-hander. He'll be with the Reds for the week to play catch and participate in workouts. Williamson is recovering from Tommy John surgery he underwent last September and is not expected back until 2026.
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Ian Gibaut RP | CIN
Reds' Ian Gibaut: Undergoing testing
Gibaut (shoulder) has returned to Cincinnati, where he is undergoing tests after being pulled from a rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.
Gibaut was roughed up in a rehab outing for Triple-A Louisville last week and had the assignment paused when his arm didn't recover well. It's unclear if it was the shoulder or another part of the arm that is the source of the current problem.
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Diamondbacks' Alek Thomas: Continues August surge
Thomas went 2-for-5 with two doubles in Monday's 7-6 extra-inning loss to Texas.
Thomas continued a surge this month and has gone 12-for-32 (.375) with two doubles, two home runs, five RBI and five runs over nine August games. His bat has always trailed his glove in the majors -- Thomas entered the year with a .629 OPS over his first three seasons -- but he's shown modest improvement in 2025. The 24-year-old outfielder is slashing .256/.302/.395 with eight home runs, 32 RBI and 39 runs over 102 contests.
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Tyler Locklear 1B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Tyler Locklear: Homers in loss
Locklear went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Monday's 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Rangers.
Locklear gave the Diamondbacks an early lead with his second home run since being traded to Arizona. He's operated as the primary first baseman after Josh Naylor was traded and Pavin Smith (oblique) landed on the 10-day injured list. Smith begins a rehab assignment Tuesday and could return for a homestand beginning next Monday. A lefty-righty platoon between Smith and Locklear is a possibility, but the organization may opt to give the younger Locklear the at-bats as Arizona plays out the string. Locklear has a .653 OPS with a 34.9 strikeout percentage over 43 plate appearances.
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Max Muncy 3B | LAD
Dodgers' Max Muncy: Blasts homer in defeat
Muncy went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in a loss to the Angels on Monday.
The Dodgers trailed 7-0 at one point in the contest, but Muncy at least made a game of it when he clubbed a three-run homer in the eighth inning. The powerful third baseman hasn't missed a beat since returning from an extended absence caused by a knee injury -- in seven contests since being activated off the IL, Muncy is batting .421 (8-for-19) with four long balls and nine RBI along with a 7:2 BB:K. Muncy didn't hit a homer until his 29th game of the season, but since then he's gone deep 17 times over 60 contests.