MLB Player News

Thielbar allowed two runs on three hits while retiring just one batter in relief during Friday's 6-4 win over the Royals.

After seven strong innings from new Chicago starter Kevin Gausman in which he allowed just two runs, Thielbar quickly ran into some trouble in the eighth. The lefty got the hook before Trent Thornton finished out the frame to earn a hold. Thielbar has been struggling recently with a 17.18 ERA across his last five appearances, which has pushed his overall ERA up to 5.30. With Thornton, Jacob Webb and Ryan Zeferjahn all seemingly ahead of him in the bullpen pecking order, and Daniel Palencia (elbow) expected back soon, Thielbar doesn't have much fantasy appeal at the moment.

De La Cruz went 1-for-2 wth two walks and a solo home run in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Nationals.

De La Cruz hit the second of back-to-back home runs in the third inning to tie the game. It was his second consecutive game with a home run and 20th of the season. In doing so, De La Cruz posted a third consecutive season with at least 20 homers and 20 steals, becoming the third player in Reds history to achieve that distinction.

Crow-Armstrong went 1-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 6-4 win over the Royals. He also stole a base.

Crow-Armstrong extended his hitting streak to five games and also swiped a base for the second straight contest. The talented outfielder is now up to 30 stolen bases overall, which marks his second consecutive season reaching that milestone. With four more home runs this year, Crow-Armstrong will have back-to-back 30-30 campaigns as well. With a robust .937 OPS to boot, the 24-year-old has been an elite fantasy contributor in 2026.

Lawlar (hamstring) could shift his rehab assignment to Triple-A Reno during the upcoming week, MLB.com reports.

Lawlar has thus far made three rehab appearances at Double-A Amarillo, going a collective 1-for-10 with one stolen base and a 0:5 BB:K. He's yet to play a full nine-inning game, though he played six innings in center field Tuesday and seven innings in center Friday. Lawlar may need to play full games on back-to-back days during his rehab assignment before making his return from the 10-day injured list. He's been on the shelf since June 20 due to a right hamstring strain.

Soroka (glute) is expected to return from the 15-day injured list to start Monday's game against the Rockies at Chase Field, MLB.com reports.

The Diamondbacks felt comfortable bringing the right-hander back from the IL following a lone rehab start Tuesday, when he allowed one run over four innings and 57 pitches for Triple-A Reno. Arizona cleared a spot for Soroka in the rotation by optioning starter Kohl Drake to Reno on Friday.

Adames went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-2 win over the Tigers.

Adames ended a 15-game power drought with his fifth-inning long ball to provide the final run of the game. It's been even longer since he had a multi-hit effort -- his last came July 12 versus the Rockies, and he's gone just 13-for-73 (.178) since the All-Star break. The shortstop is down to a .221 average and .693 OPS on the year, and he's added 19 homers, 48 RBI, 58 runs scored, 24 doubles, one triple and four stolen bases over 111 games. While the OPS is on track to be the worst of his career, Adames is one long ball away from reaching 20 for a sixth straight season.

Devers went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 5-2 win over the Tigers.

Devers went yard in the first inning to answer Detroit's run in the top half of the frame. Over six games in August, Devers has gone 6-for-22 with two homers and a 3:3 BB:K. For the season, the first baseman is hitting .248 with a .799 OPS, 24 homers, 64 RBI, 61 runs scored, 27 doubles, one triple and no stolen bases over 116 contests.

Smith walked one and struck out none in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Friday's 5-2 win over the Tigers.

This was the Giants' first save chance since the trade deadline, so it's notable Smith got the call to close and answered it with a decent performance. The right-hander took a loss in two of his first three appearances in August, and he's allowed two runs with a 2:3 K:BB over 3.1 innings this month. On the year, he's posted a 2.95 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 24:11 K:BB across 21.1 innings while adding two saves and six holds. Smith is the only reliever currently on the Giants' roster with multiple saves, so he may be the slight favorite to lead a closing committee for now. That said, the 49-67 Giants are not a team to target for saves in general.

Houser (3-7) allowed one run on six hits and a walk while striking out four over five innings to earn the win over the Tigers on Friday.

Houser continues to pitch out of the bullpen, but he has covered five or more innings in three of nine appearances since he was bumped from the rotation. The right-hander put in a strong showing Friday, throwing 57 of 86 pitches for strikes to pick up his first win since May 17 versus the Athletics. Houser has allowed just seven runs over 31 innings across nine innings since his move to the bullpen. Overall, he has a 4.55 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 65:31 K:BB through 97 innings over 23 games (14 starts) this year. The Giants' rotation is depleted after Robbie Ray was dealt to the Padres and Trevor McDonald (elbow) was shut down ahead of UCL reconstruction surgery, so Houser could continue to see regular usage moving forward. He's tentatively projected to make his next appearance at home versus the Astros.

Pages went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Pages has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, going 13-for-41 (.317) with two homers and six RBI in that span. The outfielder ran into some struggles in July, but he looks to have put those in the past. For the season, Pages is batting .268 with a .790 OPS, 19 homers, 75 RBI, 66 runs scored, 23 doubles, two triples and 10 stolen bases over 115 contests.