MLB Player News

Guzman isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Guzman will retreat to the bench after going 2-for-8 with two RBI and four strikeouts across the first two games of the series. His absence will cause Vaughn Grissom to move to third base, opening up the keystone for Adam Frazier.

Smith worked around two walks to earn the save in a scoreless ninth inning Thursday against the Giants. He struck out one.

San Francisco brought the potential tying run to the plate, but Smith was able to hang on and close it out for the Guardians. The star closer hasn't let in an earned run since July 12 in Miami, a streak of 12 straight outings. Through 57 innings this year, Smith boasts a 2.21 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 80:20 K:BB with 32 saves in 37 chances.

Abrams is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Rangers.

It's the first day off since July 1 for Abrams, who is slashing only .167/.268/.306 across his last nine games. The Nationals will deploy Nasim Nunez and Jose Tena in the middle infield for Thursday's series finale.

The Angels recalled Peralta from Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Peralta has given up five earned runs over 5.2 major-league innings this season, but he'll be welcomed back into the Angels' bullpen in order to make up for the loss of Samy Natera (back). Peralta isn't likely to see much work outside of low-leverage situations.

The Angels placed Natera on the 15-day injured list Thursday, retroactive to Monday, with lower-back spasms.

Natera hasn't appeared in game since Aug. 11, though his back didn't begin to bother him until Saturday. He'll now be forced to remain on the sidelines through the end of the month, which will allow Ben Joyce to continue working as the Angels' premier high-leverage reliever. Sammy Peralta was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake in a corresponding move.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Gimenez had "good strength, good mobility" during testing of his right hamstring after Thursday's game versus the Rays, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Gimenez was removed from Thursday's game when he tweaked his hamstring while attempting to beat out an infield single. The Blue Jays will wait to see how Gimenez feels Friday, but for now he is not scheduled to undergo an MRI. If Gimenez does ultimately have to miss time, Josh Smith and/or Charles McAdoo would be in line for more playing time.

O'Brien secured the save Thursday against the Reds, allowing no runs on one hit and two walks in one-third of an inning.

O'Brien needed just one out to finish it off for the Cardinals but made things very interesting, allowing two inherited runners to come across before getting Matt McLain to line out sharply to right field. The All-Star right-hander gave up his first hit since Aug. 2 in Toronto, so his grip on the Cardinals' closer role remains strong. Through 52 innings, O'Brien sports a 2.94 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 53:22 K:BB with an NL-leading 33 saves in 38 attempts.

Roupp (7-13) took the loss against the Guardians on Thursday, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and four walks in 5.1 innings. He struck out two.

Roupp coughed up three runs in the first inning but settled in from there, as Cleveland didn't score again until the sixth. Control remains a major issue for the right-hander, who has now walked at least three batters in five consecutive starts while posting a troubling 17:19 K:BB during that span (24.2 innings). Roupp, who has now taken a loss in five straight outings, will bring a 4.34 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 130:64 K:BB over 134.2 innings into his next scheduled appearance against the Reds.

Williams (12-7) notched the win against the Giants on Thursday, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out 11.

Williams dominated at times, touching 100 mph with his fastball while generating 18 whiffs, but San Francisco managed to get to him for a pair of runs in the fourth inning. The right-hander continues to be a strikeout artist, fanning double-digit hitters in six of his last eight outings. Williams, who is tied with Dylan Cease for the AL lead in punchouts, will take a 3.72 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 201:48 K:BB over 154.2 innings into his next scheduled appearance against the Angels in Anaheim.

Bieber (5-2) notched the win against Tampa Bay on Thursday, allowing one run on four hits and no walks in seven innings. He struck out seven.

Bieber authored arguably his finest performance of the season so far, spinning seven innings of one-run ball versus the first-place Rays. The right-hander matched a season high in innings and registered a season-best seven punchouts while throwing at least 5.2 frames in his fourth straight start. Bieber will try to further improve on a 4.53 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 44:24 K:BB over 55.2 innings in his next scheduled appearance, which is projected to be a favorable home draw versus the Royals.