MLB Player News

Finnegan (1-4) surrendered five runs on four hits and a walk in one-third of an inning to take the loss Friday against the Padres.

Called upon to protect a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth inning, Finnegan instead served up a grand slam to Manny Machado. The Nationals' closer held a 2.16 ERA on June 13, but since then he's been tagged for at least three runs in three of his 11 appearances, stumbling to a 9.90 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 6:5 K:BB over his last 10 innings while blowing his only two save chances. Finnegan is a prime candidate to get moved by the trade deadline, but he isn't helping his market value with his recent performances.

Abrams went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's loss to the Padres.

The shortstop accounted for all of the Nationals' offense when he took Jason Adam deep in the eighth inning to tie the game at 2-2, before Kyle Finnegan fell apart in the top of the ninth. Abrams sat out the final game before the All-Star break due to a sore shoulder, but he appeared fully healthy as he launched his 13th homer of the season, and his first in July. Despite the power drought, Abrams is slashing .289/.327/.444 on the month with three steals, four RBI and nine runs in 13 contests.

Devers went 2-for-4 with a double in Friday's 4-0 loss to the Blue Jays.

Devers singled in the third inning and added a double in the sixth, snapping a hitless streak that spanned the Giants' previous five games. The 28-year-old has now tallied two multi-hit performances this month and has recorded at least one hit in eight of his 13 outings. In July, he's slashing .233/.364/.326 with five RBI, four runs scored, four doubles and a 9:14 BB:K across 55 plate appearances.

Encarnacion (oblique) had his rehab assignment transferred to Triple-A Sacramento on Friday, and he went 1-for-2 with a walk in a 5-2 loss to Oklahoma City.

Encarnacion was placed on the 10-day injured list June 17 due to a left oblique strain. In his first rehab game with Sacramento, the 27-year-old recorded a single in the first inning and drew a walk in the fourth. He played seven innings before being replaced. Encarnacion appears to be nearing a return to big-league action after spending time in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League and now moving up to Sacramento. He has appeared in just eight games with the Giants this season, slashing .136/.136/.182 with a double, a run scored and a stolen base in 22 plate appearances.

Tovar went 1-for-4 against the Twins on Friday.

Tovar had been sidelined since early June with an oblique strain but returned to hit fifth in the order. That was a departure from earlier in the season, when he primarily hit second in the lineup. With all three of Tyler Freeman, Mickey Moniak and Jordan Beck hitting relatively well, Tovar could stay in the middle of the order for the foreseeable future.

McMahon went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run Friday against the Twins.

McMahon capped off a four-run first inning for the Rockies with his 14th home run of the season. He continues to struggle to hit for average, as he's gone just 19-for-98 (.194) across his last 27 games, but McMahon does have five home runs in that span.

Pauley went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Friday's extra-inning win over the Royals.

Getting the start at third base and batting eighth, Pauley swiped his first career bag in the majors. While speed isn't seen as a big part of his game, the 24-year-old did go 23-for-28 on steal attempts across three levels in the Padres' system in 2023, and he's 6-for-6 this season between Triple-A Jacksonville and the Marlins. Pauley is expected to fill the strong side of a platoon at third base while Connor Norby (wrist) is on the shelf, and through 34 games this season with Jacksonville he's slashed .258/.338/.492 with seven homers and 17 RBI.

Reynolds went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored Friday against the White Sox.

Reynolds enjoyed a productive game Friday, but he's struggled throughout July. He's gone just 5-for-44 with a 40 percent strikeout rate across 12 games, chipping in only one RBI and two runs scored. Reynolds is a potential trade candidate which could boost his outlook, but he has a disappointing .660 OPS across 92 games this season.

The Cardinals hope Nootbaar (ribs) will be ready to begin a hitting progression as soon as Monday, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Nootbaar landed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a left costochondral sprain, an injury which had kept him in and out of the lineup since late June. The outfielder will be eligible for activation July 23, but it sounds unlikely that he will be ready on that date. With Nootbaar shelved, the Cardinals had Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker in the corner outfield spots in Friday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

Cruz went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base Friday against the White Sox.

Cruz was out of the lineup for the final game before the All-Star break with a hip flexor injury but appeared as a pinch hitter in that game and then participated in the Home Run Derby. Accordingly, it wasn't a surprise that he was able to return to the lineup Friday, and he was one of the few bright spots in the lineup as he tallied two hits, drove in the Pirates' only run and swiped his 30th base of the season. While Cruz has been relatively unproductive across the last 30 days, he currently has a six-game hitting streak during which he has gone 8-for-19 with one home run, three RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases.