MLB Player News

Wood went 1-for-4 with a walk, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 11-10 loss to the Giants.

The star outfielder got the offensive fireworks started on the day by taking Robbie Ray deep in the third inning. Wood has gone yard five times in the last 15 games, giving him 18 homers on the season, and over that stretch he's slashing .333/.441/.614 with four steals, nine RBI and 17 runs.

Mead went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's loss to the Giants.

The 25-year-old has emerged as a key part of the Nationals' surprisingly potent offense while becoming the team's primary option at third base. Over the last 15 games, Mead is slashing .259/.344/.574 with five of his 10 homers on the season, and 12 of his 29 RBI.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday that Mize (adductor) will likely be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Sunday in Cleveland, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Mize will need to complete a bullpen session Thursday with no issues and bounce back well Friday before officially being cleared to take the ball Sunday. The right-hander looked good during what's likely to be his lone rehab start, tossing five frames of one-run ball with five strikeouts with Single-A Lakeland on Tuesday. Mize has been out since late May with right adductor inflammation.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch confirmed Thursday that Skubal (elbow) will rejoin the rotation Saturday in Cleveland, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

All told, Skubal will have been sidelined only 38 days after having surgery in early May to remove a loose body from his left elbow. The left-hander was excellent in his lone rehab start, striking out six over five scoreless frames for High-A West Michigan on Sunday. Skubal threw only 54 pitches in that outing, so he will be relatively limited from a workload perspective against the Guardians.

Alvarez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's loss to the Cardinals.

Getting the start at DH in his second game since being activated from the injured list, Alvarez supplied all the Mets' offense with a two-run shot off Andre Pallante in the fourth inning, his first long ball since April 11. Alvarez has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games sandwiched around his nearly month-long stay on the IL due to knee surgery, slashing .306/.342/.472 over that stretch.

Vierling is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins.

Vierling was essentially the Tigers' everyday center fielder in May, but he's started just four of nine games since the calendar flipped to June. The Tigers are going with Zach McKinstry in center field for Thursday's series finale.

Kempner (1-0) picked up the win Wednesday, walking two and striking out three over two scoreless, no-hit innings of relief in a victory over the Diamondbacks.

The rookie right-hander took the mound in the seventh inning, the third of four Miami pitchers in a combined shutout, and he wound up being credited with the win. Kempner has yet to allow a run in his first five big-league appearances, posting a 0.75 WHIP and 8:2 K:BB over 6.2 innings, but he doesn't yet appear to be part of the high-leverage picture for manager Clayton McCullough -- he entered Wednesday's contest with the Marlins already up 8-0.

Slaten allowed two runs on three hits over two-thirds of an inning in Wednesday's 7-5 loss to Tampa Bay.

Slaten's performance didn't result in him taking the loss, but it did take the starch out of a comeback bid. Boston had just closed the gap to 5-4 with four runs in the top of eighth inning before Slaten gave two of those runs back in the bottom of the frame. This was the right-hander's third harsh outing in the last five, during which he's allowed 10 runs on 11 hits and three walks over 4.1 innings (20.77 ERA). Until this stretch, Slaten could have been viewed as a closer candidate if the 27-39 Red Sox eventually trade Aroldis Chapman.

The Rockies outrighted Thompson to Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday.

Thompson passed through waivers unclaimed after being booted from the Rockies' 40-man roster. The righty has been outrighted previously, which means he could decline the assignment and elect free agency, but it's unclear whether Thompson will exercise that right. He's yielded 11 runs over 12 innings in the majors this season.

Straw went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Wednesday's loss to the Phillies.

Making his fourth start in the last five games while Daulton Varsho tends to a wrist issue, Straw set a new season high in hits while extending his run-scoring streak to a modest three contests. Since Varsho was injured June 4, Straw has gone 6-for-16 (.375) with a double, three RBI and four runs, and he should continue to see consistent playing time in the short term.