MLB Player News

Busch went 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 8-4 win over the Reds.

Busch laced his 16th and 17th doubles of the season to help lead Chicago to victory, and he hit them both against southpaw Andrew Abbott to boot. The first baseman goes into the break with five hits across his last two games, but it's mostly been an underwhelming first half following his breakout 2025. Busch has a .763 OPS, 11 home runs and 49 RBI across 95 contests so far this year. In 2025, he finished with an .866 OPS, 34 homers and 90 RBI in 155 regular-season games.

Bregman went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, an additional run scored and four total RBI in Sunday's 8-4 win over the Reds.

Bregman goes into the All-Star break with home runs on consecutive days to give himself a little momentum after a mostly uneven first half of the season. The veteran third baseman is batting .241 with a .695 OPS, nine long balls and 41 RBI across 94 contests. During his career, Bregman's best two months by OPS are August and July, so he could be primed for continued success after the break.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Rangers.

Smith had gone 0-for-11 with a sacrifice fly over his previous four games. He was well on his way to another poor showing, but he turned it around with an eighth-inning homer. The outfielder is batting .218 with a .669 OPS, 12 homers, 34 RBI, 39 runs scored, 13 doubles, one triple and nine stolen bases over 96 contests this season.

Altuve went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Rangers.

Altuve went yard in the fourth inning to get the Astros on the board. The second baseman has homered three times over his last six games, though he's at just 11 long balls on the year. He's also batting .235 with a .711 OPS, 27 RBI, 45 runs scored, 13 doubles, one triple and two stolen bases across 74 contests. He's been declining for a few years, but his OPS would be his lowest since he had a .630 mark in the abbreviated 2020 campaign.

Hader (3-1) allowed a run on three hits while failing to record an out, taking the loss Sunday versus the Rangers.

Hader was called upon in a non-save situation Sunday, but he failed to keep the game tied at 5-5. He allowed a walk-off single to Brandon Nimmo. It's just the second time in 17 appearances Hader has given up a run this season, and he remains a perfect 10-for-10 in save chances. Hader has added a 1.17 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 25:8 K:BB over 15.1 innings as the Astros' unquestioned closer since making his season debut June 3.

Javier allowed three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four over three innings in a no-decision versus the Rangers on Sunday.

Javier made his first start and third appearance since returning from a three-month absence due to a shoulder injury. The results weren't great, as he struggled heavily in the second inning, though the Astros were able to get him off the hook later in the contest. Javier has pitched to a 9.98 ERA and 12:15 K:BB across 15.1 innings over six appearances (four starts) this season. With reinforcements on the way from the injured list in the latter part of July, Javier will need to show a better overall performance if he's to stay in the conversation for a rotation spot.

Gasser (2-4) took the loss Sunday against the Pirates, allowing seven runs on eight hits and no walks in three-plus innings. He struck out three.

Gasser coughed up four runs in the second inning and couldn't make it through the fourth frame, when Pittsburgh erupted for 10 runs. The seven runs allowed were a season worst for the 27-year-old southpaw, who also turned in his shortest outing of the year. Gasser still figures to maintain a rotation spot with the Brewers until Kyle Harrison (forearm) comes off the injured list, with the former holding a 5.24 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 43:14 K:BB over 46.1 innings.

Nimmo went 3-for-5 with two RBI in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Astros.

Nimmo's three hits were all singles, and two of them drove in runs. His last of the game was a walk-off knock against Josh Hader. Since recovering from a brief absence due to a shoulder injury, Nimmo has gone 8-for-29 (.276) with five RBI over eight games. He's batting .263 with a .756 OPS, nine home runs, 34 RBI, 38 runs scored, 21 doubles, three triples and four stolen bases over 90 contests this season.

Higashioka went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Astros.

Higashioka went yard in the eighth inning, tying the game at 5-5 a half-inning after the Astros had pulled ahead. Higashioka has started three of the last four games behind the dish for the Rangers, perhaps suggesting he's clawing back some playing time from Elias Diaz. Higashioka is batting .220 with a .670 OPS, seven homers, 17 RBI, 19 runs scored, three doubles and no stolen bases over 177 plate appearances.

Skenes (8-8) notched the win Sunday against the Brewers, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk in 5.1 innings. He struck out seven.

The Milwaukee bats were sluggish initially, as Skenes rattled off three perfect innings to begin the afternoon, but the Brewers did get to the hurler for a pair of runs in the fourth inning. The All-Star right-hander delivered a 1.98 ERA and 0.64 WHIP over his first nine starts of 2026 but hasn't been nearly as dominant across his last 11 outings, during which he's posted a 4.94 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. Despite that rough stretch, Skenes still sports a strong 3.57 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 130:24 K:BB through 108.1 frames this year.