MLB Player News

Kurtz went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and two walks in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Brewers.

Kurtz has launched four homers over his last three games and seven long balls over his last 11 contests. This stretch has gotten the first baseman back in the neighborhood of what's expected of him from a power standpoint -- he now has 15 homers on the year. Kurtz is also batting .283 with a .969 OPS, 49 RBI, 46 runs scored, 12 doubles, one triple and seven stolen bases over 302 plate appearances this season.

Barnett struck out four over two perfect innings to earn the save in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Brewers.

Barnett wasn't utilized in Monday's slugfest, leaving him fresh to pitch Tuesday while the bullpen was short. He delivered a tidy outing, collecting his six outs on 31 pitches (20 strikes) for his first career save. Barnett has allowed just two hits with a 12:4 K:BB across eight innings over three relief appearances this season. The Athletics have a hole in the rotation currently, but it may not be an issue until next week. Barnett came up through the minor leagues as a starter, which could make him a candidate for a spot start at some point later in the year. For now, he can be considered a long reliever.

Meckler went 1-for-2 with a double, three walks, three runs and two RBI in a 10-1 win over the Astros on Tuesday.

Meckler continued what has been an excellent start to his tenure with the Angels, reaching base in four plate appearances for the second time over his past seven games. The 26-year-old registered one of his team's two extra-base hits with a double and crossed the plate three times. Meckler has started each of the Angels' past seven games and has taken over as the team's primary left fielder. He's slashing an impressive .340/.417/.547 with two homers, 10 runs, 12 RBI, two stolen bases and a 7:10 BB:K through 60 plate appearances.

Holmes did not factor into the decision Tuesday against the White Sox, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out two over 3.2 innings.

Holmes turned in his shortest start of the season Tuesday, as the right-hander surrendered a two-run homer to Miguel Vargas in the third inning before allowing another run to score in the fourth. After that run crossed the plate, Holmes loaded the bases and was lifted before he could escape the jam. While the abbreviated outing was disappointing, Holmes has done a decent job limiting damage this season, holding opponents to three or fewer runs in 12 of his 13 starts. He now owns a 4.05 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 59:29 K:BB across 66.2 innings and is lined up to face the Mets in his next start.

Moniak (ankle) has not begun testing his ability to change direction while running, MLB.com reports.

The positive news is that Moniak has resumed hitting and throwing, while also doing some running. However, he has not been scheduled to test his ability to change direction, meaning he is still some time away from returning.

Heim went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Brewers.

Heim was the lone Athletic to collect multiple hits, and one of them was one of the team's five long balls. While his playing time remains limited, the catcher has gone 10-for-32 (.313) with four homers and two doubles over his last 10 contests, a stretch that dates back to May 17. He is batting .232 with a .777 OPS, five long balls, 14 RBI, 13 runs scored, six doubles and no steals through 90 plate appearances this season. Heim is in no position to challenge Shea Langeliers for starts behind the plate, but Heim has delivered when called upon lately, either in spot starts or off the bench.

Dollander (elbow) is trying to schedule a follow-up exam with Dr. Keith Meister, MLB.com reports.

Dollander has been sidelined since May 15 with a right elbow sprain, and he was originally scheduled to be shut down for 2-to-3 weeks. The report suggests that surgery still isn't a possibility, but instead that Dollander and the team want all of the information before moving forward with his recovery plan. Dollander looks likely to remain sidelined into the second half of the season.

Ginn (4-3) allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out five over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Brewers on Tuesday.

Ginn wasn't all that good, but he did better than opposing starter Robert Gasser, who got tagged for six runs, including four home runs. This was just the second time all season Ginn has allowed more than three runs. He's now at a 3.15 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 65:30 K:BB across 71.1 innings through 15 appearances (12 starts) on the year. He's projected to make his next start against the Rockies in Las Vegas, assuming the Athletics use Thursday's off day to skip the open fifth spot in their rotation.

Teng (3-5) took the loss Tuesday, allowing seven runs (five earned) on seven hits and three walks while striking out five batters over four innings against the Angels.

Teng was ambushed early, as the Angels got to him for seven runs over the first two innings. The right-hander closed out his outing with two scoreless frames, but the early damage was more than enough to send him to defeat. Teng did manage to keep the ball in the park, and five of the seven hits against him were singles, but he issued three free passes and hit two batters on a night when his control was clearly lacking. He'll look to bounce back in his next start, which is tentatively slated to be a home matchup versus Detroit.

Urena (4-4) allowed three hits and issued five walks while striking out seven batters over five scoreless innings to earn the win over Houston on Tuesday.

The Angels sprinted out to a 7-0 lead by the end of the second inning, giving Urena plenty of runaway to record the victory. However, the right-hander battled his control, and he ran his pitch count up so high that it wasn't certain he'd stick around long enough to qualify for the win. Manager Kurt Suzuki ultimately let Urena sweat out five innings, over which he threw a whopping 107 pitches (only 59 of which were strikes). Control issues aside, Urena looked good in holding Houston scoreless while registering seven punchouts. The rookie's 1.36 WHIP is somewhat worrying, but he's still managed to post a strong 2.44 ERA through 55.1 frames on the season.