MLB Player News

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Monday in a loss to the Angels.

The Dodgers failed to score through seven innings, but Ohtani finally broke the seal with a 389-foot solo shot in the eighth. The long ball put the slugger back into a tie for the NL homer lead with Kyle Schwarber, who hit his 42nd home run earlier in the day. Ohtani has gone deep in three straight contests and in four of his past five games. He's in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak during which he's batting .447 (17-for-38) with seven extra-base hits, five RBI, 12 runs and four stolen bases.

Yamamoto (10-8) took the loss against the Angels on Monday, pitching 4.2 innings during which he allowed six runs on six hits and five walks while striking out six batters.

Yamamoto fell behind quickly, as the first pitch he threw was knocked by Zach Neto for a home run. The All-Star hurler gave up another run in the first but looked to get back on track with three straight scoreless frames. However, the Angels chased Yamamoto in the fifth, compiling four hits -- all singles -- along with a hit-by-pitch and a walk en route to four runs. Though the Neto homer was the only extra-base hit Yamamoto allowed, he didn't do himself any favors by issuing five free passes, tying a season-high mark. The six runs were the most Yamamoto has given up all year, and his overall ERA bumped up from 2.51 to 2.84 as a result.