MLB Player News

Wells went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run and a walk in a 12-4 win over Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Wells got in on a big day for New York's offense when he took Cam Booser deep to right field in the fourth inning. It was only the fifth homer of the campaign by the backstop, and his first since May 22. Even with the long ball, Wells has accumulated a putrid .314 OPS with a 1:14 BB:K across 16 games since his June 21 return from an IL stint. He's in the midst of a career-worst season, slashing .151/.246/.242 with a 27.8 percent strikeout rate and just 11 RBI through 212 plate appearances.

Ritchie will start Sunday's game in St. Louis, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

He's taking over the rotation spot vacated by Hurston Waldrep, who was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Ritchie has made seven starts and three relief outings with the big club this season, turning in a 4.60 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 42:28 K:BB over 45 innings. Ritchie hasn't handled a normal starter's workload for nearly two weeks and threw 35 pitches in relief Thursday, so he'll likely be on a limited pitch count Sunday.

Atlanta activated Kinley from the paternity leave list Friday.

After being away for a few days while welcoming a new addition to the family, Kinley is back in the bullpen for the team's weekend series in St. Louis. Kinley holds a 3.62 ERA and 33:12 K:BB over 32.1 frames this season.

Atlanta optioned Waldrep to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

Waldrep looked rusty in two starts and one relief appearance during his first stint with the big club this season, posting an 8.44 ERA, 2.16 WHIP and 9:10 K:BB over 10.2 innings. The young right-hander could eventually get another chance in the Atlanta rotation after the All-Star break, but he'll try to sharpen up at Gwinnett first. JR Ritchie is entering the rotation in Waldrep's place.

The White Sox optioned Gonzalez to Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.

Gonzalez was recalled for his major-league debut last month after Munetaka Murakami (hamstring) was sent to the injured list. Across 97 trips to the plate, Gonzalez slashed .244/.323/.360 with two homers, 17 RBI, 11 runs scored and an 8:22 BB:K. With Murakami back from the IL, Gonzalez will head back to Charlotte.

The White Sox activated Murakami (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Murakami suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain May 29 and ended up missing 35 games for Chicago. He appeared in two games with Triple-A Charlotte on a rehab assignment and went 2-for-7 at the plate with an RBI and a walk. Prior to his injury, Murakami was one of the hottest sluggers in the sport, blasting 20 homers with 41 RBI, 43 runs scored, 44 walks and a .938 OPS through his first 57 MLB games. The White Sox optioned Jacob Gonzalez to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Mathews continued a terrific stretch at Triple-A Memphis with seven strikeouts over seven shutout innings in Thursday's start versus Gwinnett.

Mathews had an up-and-down first two months of the season but has been on a roll since the start of June, posting a 1.83 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 45:15 K:BB over 39.1 frames covering seven starts. His 10.3 percent walk rate during that span remains a tad high, but it's greatly improved from the 18.2 percent mark he had in his first 10 outings. Mathews is not on the Cardinals' 40-man roster, but he looks ready for a chance at the big-league level sooner rather than later.

Benge went 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Thursday's win over the Royals.

The rookie right fielder has reeled off four straight multi-hit performances as he surges toward the All-Star break. Benge has hit safely in 13 of the last 14 contests, delivering a .328/.391/.466 slash line over that stretch with two doubles, two homers, two steals, seven RBI and nine runs.

Susac (back) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout.

Susac has been shelved for the past two weeks with a lower-back strain. He was used at designated hitter in his first rehab contest, and the Giants will surely want him to play at least a game or two at catcher before returning the rookie to the active roster, which could happen immediately after the All-Star break.

Yastrzemski went 1-for-3 with two walks, a grand slam and a second run scored in Thursday's win over the Pirates.

The veteran outfielder put the game out of reach in the top of the ninth inning when he turned on a Dennis Santana fastball and deposited it in the right-field seats. The homer was only Yastrzemski's sixth of the season in 84 contests, and his .681 OPS would be a career low, but he's showing signs of a breakout in July. Through the first nine games this month he's batting .280 (7-for-25) with a double, two long balls, six runs, nine RBI and more walks (six) than strikeouts (five).