MLB Player News

Cortes went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Brewers.

Cortes clubbed his first homer since May 24 to pull the Athletics within a run in the seventh inning. The outfielder has been seeing steady time in right field against right-handed pitchers, primarily working in a platoon with Colby Thomas while bumping Lawrence Butler into a reserve role. However, Cortes has gone just 4-for-21 (.190) in June after batting .265 in May to maintain a foothold in the lineup. Overall, Cortes is hitting .310 with an .890 OPS, six homers, 18 RBI, 16 runs scored and a stolen base across 182 plate appearances, but his consistency has faded a bit. That may not cost him playing time if Brent Rooker (knee) ends up on the injured list, but it could open the door for Butler to get more looks.

Butler went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Brewers.

Butler put the Athletics ahead in the seventh inning with his first long ball since April 29. The outfielder has slipped into a part-time role, and he's not helping his cause in June, going 3-for-18 (.167) over eight games this month, even with the homer. Overall, he's batting .165 with a .507 OPS, four homers, 16 RBI, 18 runs scored, three doubles and four stolen bases through 183 plate appearances. Butler will need to show some consistency at the plate to displace Carlos Cortes from the starting job in right field versus right-handed pitchers. There was room in the lineup for both of them Wednesday since Brent Rooker sat out due to knee soreness.

Alvarado struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Brewers.

The right-hander was trusted to lock things down in the ninth inning while pitching for the second day in a row, becoming the fifth different Athletics' pitcher to record a save since May 30. Alvarado struggled early in the season after making the Opening Day roster and was demoted in mid-April, but he's allowed just one hit while striking out nine over 4.1 innings across three appearances since returning to the majors last week. He's collected a save, four holds and a 2-0 record on the year despite a 5.79 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 18:7 K:BB through 14 innings. Alvarado is the ninth pitcher overall to earn a save for the team this season, as the closer situation remains a muddled committee for the A's.

Perkins allowed three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four over four innings in a no-decision versus the Brewers on Wednesday.

Perkins was a little better this time out, but he still wasn't very efficient in his second start of the year. He threw 56 of 89 pitches for strikes and allowed two home runs while pitching at hitter-friendly Las Vegas Ballpark. In his two starts, he's allowed eight runs on 10 hits and five walks while striking out 10 over eight innings. Combined with his work out of the bullpen this season, Perkins has a 6.25 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 43:12 K:BB through 36 innings over 19 appearances. If the Athletics still need his help in the rotation, Perkins would be tentatively lined up for a home start in Sacramento against the Pirates next week.

Imanaga allowed two hits and two walks while striking out seven over five scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Rockies on Wednesday.

Imanaga came into this start with 14 homers allowed over his last six games, but he was able to keep the ball down in the Colorado altitude. It wasn't enough to snap his winless stretch, which is now at six starts, but this was a good palette cleanser after his recent rough patch. The southpaw now has a 4.44 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 81:21 K:BB through 81 innings over 14 starts this season. Imanaga will look to continue his turnaround in a rematch with the Rockies in Chicago in his next start.

Rumfield went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Cubs.

Rumfield got the Rockies on the board with his eighth-inning blast. Prior to Wednesday's game, he had gone 0-for-13 with three walks over his previous four contests, and this was his first multi-hit effort since May 30 versus the Giants. The first baseman is batting .269 with a .776 OPS, eight homers, 31 RBI, 27 runs scored, 10 doubles and one triple over 65 contests this season.

Senzatela (6-0) allowed a run on two hits and struck out one over one inning, earning the win after taking a blown save versus the Cubs on Wednesday.

All three of Senzatela's blown saves have come over his last four appearances, a span in which he's allowed five runs (four earned) in 5.1 innings. The right-hander's move to the bullpen has still largely been successful, but the cracks are starting to show with his recent outings. He's at a 2.11 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 32:11 K:BB through 38.1 innings over 20 appearances, all in relief. Senzatela has a .245 BABIP, suggesting there's a fair amount of luck fueling his surface stats, though his 7.5 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 are both improvements on his marks from last year. He still appears to be the preferred option for saves in Colorado's closer committee.

Lambert was removed from his start against the Angels on Wednesday after getting hit on the hand by a comebacker, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Nick Madrigal hit a groundball in the seventh inning that bounced up and struck Lambert's right hand, leading to the latter's removal. The 29-year-old righty said after the game that he feels fine, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, but the Astros will likely monitor his health leading up to his next turn through the rotation, which is lined up to come next week against Detroit. He gave up two runs on five hits with six strikeouts and no walks over 6.1 frames prior to his exit.

Callihan went 2-for-2 with two home runs, four RBI, three runs scored and two walks in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Dodgers.

Callihan was instrumental in Pittsburgh's comeback Wednesday, blasting a three-run jack in the eighth inning to put the Pirates ahead 7-6. He also launched a solo homer off Shohei Ohtani earlier in the contest. Callihan has gone 4-for-12 with four extra-base hits, six RBI, five walks and a stolen base since being called up for his Pittsburgh debut in late May, and Wednesday's heroics should bolster his case for more playing time.

Lewis went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Tigers.

Lewis hit the second-longest home run (444 feet) of his career to left-center field in the second inning off of Framber Valdez. The 27-year-old Lewis has gone 4-for-15 with a home run and a double since returning to the big leagues after a brief stay with Triple-A St. Paul. The former top prospect slashed just .163/.261/.279 across his first 31 games of the year to earn the demotion, but he had a 1.303 OPS in 15 contests at Triple-A to secure a spot back on the MLB roster.