MLB Player News

Johnson elected to become a free agent Wednesday.

After passing through waivers following his removal from the Astros' 40-man roster, Johnson has exercised his right to free agency rather than accept an outright assignment. He could wind up re-signing with Houston on a minor-league deal, but the outfielder will have the ability to negotiate with all clubs.

The White Sox activated Cannon (hip) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte.

Cannon made a couple rehab appearances for Charlotte after overcoming a hip injury, getting rocked for 10 runs over five innings. He'll remain with Charlotte in a swingman role rather than joining the big club now that he's healthy again.

The White Sox activated Murphy (elbow) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte.

Murphy is recovered from his left elbow impingement, but the White Sox have elected to keep him at Charlotte, where he had been on a rehab assignment. The southpaw allowed seven runs with a 6:5 K:BB over six innings before landing on the IL last month.

Halpin went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 3-1 win over Kansas City.

Halpin moved up from first base when the runner ahead of him, Austin Hedges, stole third base. That put Halpin in position to score the go-ahead run on a two-run single by Chase DeLauter. The stolen base was his first since being called up last Friday and 10th overall in 2026, when including the nine he swiped for Triple-A Columbus. As another left-handed bat in a lefty-dominant outfield, Halpin doesn't appear to have a platoon advantage over the outfield regulars, but his speed could lead to pinch-running opportunities.

Hedges went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Royals. He was also caught stealing.

Hedges, a backup catcher, was an unlikely spark in the Guardians' win that snapped a three-game skid. At second base and down 1-0 in the top of the fifth inning, Hedges took off for third base and narrowly beat the throw for his first successful swipe of the season and 17th of his 12-year MLB career. On the play, Petey Halpin moved from first to second base, setting up a situation where Chase DeLauter's single delivered both runners. Hedges was later cut down trying to steal in the ninth. It was the second time in three starts that Hedges made an impact in a Cleveland win. There are no immediate plans to change the catching depth chart, but Hedges has .311/.360/.467 slash line over 16 games, which compares very favorably to starter Bo Naylor's .127/.188/.190 line through 27 contests.

Bleday went 2-for-5 with an RBI and was caught stealing in Wednesday's 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Cubs.

Bleday's two-hit night upped a hit streak to five games, during which he's 7-for-20 with a double, three home runs, five RBI and five runs scored. The attempted steal was his first in nine games for Cincinnati, but speed has not historically been a feature of Bleday's game -- he's stolen 12 bases (caught seven times) over 409 MLB games prior to this season. The lefty-hitting outfielder has become a lineup regular against right-handers since being called up from the minors last week and recently moved to second in the order.

Alonso went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's win over the Marlins.

Alonso made an immediate impact, launching his three-run shot in the first inning. The veteran first baseman now has seven homers on the year, and he also extended his hitting streak to seven games. He owns a .360 average and 1.328 OPS with three homers, eight RBI and 10 runs scored over that stretch.

House went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run, a double, three total RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Twins.

House delivered an RBI double that scored CJ Abrams in the sixth inning and later launched a two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh. The third baseman recorded his first multi-hit performance since April 14, but he's been seeing the ball well overall. He has hit safely in 11 of his last 14 games, slashing .250/.321/.458 with a .779 OPS, three homers, 11 RBI, eight runs scored and a stolen base across that span.

Abrams went 3-for-5 with a grand slam, two doubles, an additional RBI and an additional run scored in Wednesday's win over the Twins.

Abrams plated a run in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI double that scored James Wood and later crossed home plate in the bottom of the sixth following an RBI double from Brady House. However, his big moment would come in the bottom of the eighth with one out, as he cleared the bases with the second grand slam of his career. Abrams now has nine homers on the year and recorded a multi-hit performance for the fourth time in his last seven games, a stretch where he's hitting .423 with a robust 1.269 OPS across 30 plate appearances.

Mikolas (1-3) earned the win Wednesday against the Twins after allowing two runs on three hits across 5.1 innings, fanning three.

Mikolas delivered his best outing of the season Wednesday, as he pitched into the sixth inning for the first time in 2026 and allowed two or fewer runs in four of his last six starts. The long balls remain an issue, however, as he's given up nine home runs across 32.2 innings. Mikolas has a long way to go before being worthy of consideration as a streaming option in most formats, but this was a step in the right direction. He's scheduled to make his next start at Cincinnati next week.