MLB Player News

Smith (oblique) could become the primary starter at first base after the Diamondbacks traded Josh Naylor to the Mariners on Thursday, Manny Randhawa of MLB.com reports.

Smith first needs to get over his oblique injury. He recently began taking dry swings, but it's unclear when he'll be ready to rejoin Arizona. Rather than seeing an everyday role, he may work on the strong side of a platoon upon his return -- he has just 17 at-bats against lefties in 2025. While Smith remains sidelined, Tristin English will likely see most of the action at first base.

Snell (shoulder) is slated for a minor-league rehab appearance with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday and is aiming to throw about five innings or 75 pitches, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Snell has already completed three rehab outings, compiling a 2.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 17:1 K:BB over nine innings. He worked up to 58 pitches across four frames in his most recent appearance Sunday, marking his longest rehab start to date. Saturday's outing with OKC could be his final one before he's activated off the injured list, as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday, "Once we get through that, there will be a real discussion on if he should join us or do another one."

The Diamondbacks recalled English from Triple-A Reno on Thursday, Aaron Hughes of SI.com reports.

With Josh Naylor shipped to Seattle in a trade Thursday, Arizona is bringing English back up to fill the void at first base. Pavin Smith (oblique) is still on the 10-day injured list, so English should get plenty of opportunities while Smith is idle. English made his MLB debut earlier in July, going 0-for-4 with one RBI and a pair of strikeouts in one game before being sent back down. He's slashed .341/.390/.566 with 11 home runs, 65 RBI and 44 runs scored at Triple-A this year.

The Mariners traded Izzi to the Diamondbacks on Thursday alongside Brandyn Garcia in exchange for Josh Naylor, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Izzi has spent all of 2025 with the Mariners' High-A affiliate, where he turned in a 5.51 ERA and 1.57 WHIP across 47.1 innings through 12 starts. The 21-year-old will presumably remain at the High-A level with his new organization, and it will likely be a few years before he's ready for the majors.

The Mariners traded Garcia and Ashton Izzi to the Diamondbacks on Thursday in exchange for Josh Naylor, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The Diamondbacks are expected to prioritize pitching while they sell their pieces at the deadline, and they'll bolster their bullpen depth by picking up Garcia. The 25-year-old southpaw made his MLB debut Monday against the Brewers and has given up one run in two innings since then. He was optioned back to Triple-A by Seattle shortly before being traded, though it's unclear if he'll return to the bigs upon joining his new organization. Garcia had been a starter prior to this season, and he has a couple plus pitches in his fastball and slider, so it's possible Arizona will look to stretch him back out at some point.

Iglesias is not in the lineup for Thursday's tilt in St. Louis.

After starting four consecutive games (two against lefties, two against righties), Iglesias has now been absent from the lineup for two straight contests. The Padres will roll out Jake Cronenworth at second base in Thursday's series opener.

Freeman went 2-for-5 with a run, a stolen base and two RBI in Wednesday's 4-3 win against Minnesota.

Freeman capped a ninth-inning comeback with a two-out, two-run, walk-off single that just evaded the reach of a diving Harrison Bader. The knock was Freeman's second hit of the game, marking just his second multi-hit appearance over his past 15 contests. The All-Star first baseman is batting an uncharacteristically poor .204 during that stretch, though he's still at a .295 batting average on the campaign, the third-best figure among qualified National League hitters.

McCutchen went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Tigers.

McCutchen went deep in the first inning of Wednesday's game to tally his ninth home run of the season. It was his first across 55 at-bats in July, and he has just one additional extra-base hit while hitting only .200 for the month.

Horwitz went 1-for-4 with a grand slam Wednesday against the Tigers.

Horwitz has struggled for most of July, but he is turning things around since the All-Star break. He has hits in each of his last four games, including a pair of doubles and a home run. Horwitz also looks to be the Pirates' primary leadoff hitter, at least against right-handed pitching, after briefly ceding the role to Tommy Pham.

Leahy has generated "intrigue" as a potential option for the Cardinals' rotation, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

All 76 of Leahy's appearances in the majors have come from the bullpen, and he has been used almost exclusively as a reliever since 2023. However, he has lots of past experiences as a starter in the minors, and many of his relief appearances have spanned multiple frames, including his last time out Tuesday in Colorado when he struck out seven while yielding one run over 3.2 innings. It does not sound like a move to the Cardinals' rotation is imminent for Leahy, but it could be considered if they trade other members of the rotation at the deadline. Leahy has posted a 2.95 ERA and 48:19 K:BB over 55 frames in 2025.