MLB Player News

Bell went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk during a 4-1 loss to the White Sox on Friday.

Bell scored the lone Twins run Friday with a solo shot in the ninth inning off Grant Taylor. The long ball broke a drought of 12 straight games without a blast. Over his last 30 games, Bell is slashing .304/.380/.473 with five homers and 21 RBI in 125 plate appearances.

Vargas went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout during a 4-1 win over Minnesota on Friday.

Vargas clubbed a solo shot in the first to open the scoring for the White Sox. The 26-year-old is now up to 30 homers, marking the first time he's accomplished that feat in a season, and he reached the 30-homer milestone on the same night as teammate Colson Montgomery. Over 613 plate appearances this season, Vargas has slashed .251/.363/.488 with 77 RBI, 94 runs scored and 15 stolen bases.

Winn (thumb) intends to return from the 10-day injured list for Saturday's game in Colorado, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The Cardinals put Winn through a full pregame workout Friday, and as long as he recovers from that with no issues, he'll be in the lineup for Saturday's contest versus the Rockies. Winn has missed the last two weeks of action with a small fracture in his left thumb.

Montgomery went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a 4-1 win over Minnesota on Friday.

In Montgomery's first at-bat, the 23-year-old clubbed a solo shot off Zebby Matthews to extend Chicago's lead. The switch hitter snapped a 10-game drought without a long ball. On the campaign, Montgomery is slashing .225/.315/.363 with six homers and 36 RBI over 298 plate appearances.

Montgomery went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer and two strikeouts during a 4-1 win over Minnesota on Friday.

Montgomery registered his 30th homer, reaching the milestone for the first time in his young career. The 24-year-old belted a two-run shot off Zebby Matthews in the fourth to extend Chicago's lead to four. For the season, Montgomery has slashed .213/.294/.436 with 191 strikeouts over 562 plate appearances.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol indicated Friday that Graceffo is under consideration to make a start during next week's series in San Francisco, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The qualifier is that the Cardinals will have to first get through a weekend series at Coors Field without needing to use Graceffo out of the bullpen, which is easier said than done. A midseason pitch mix change has unlocked Graceffo, who has logged a 2.22 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 31:11 K:BB over 28.1 innings since ditching his curveball for a new slider. He threw three perfect innings with four strikeouts while starting a bullpen game last week versus the Orioles, and the righty has since added an additional five scoreless frames with a 9:1 K:BB over two subsequent outings. Graceffo threw a season-high 48 pitches his last time out, so he should be capable of around 50-to-60 pitches next week if he does wind up making a spot start.

Fedde (8-8) earned the win Friday, allowing three hits and two walks over five scoreless innings against Minnesota. He struck out two.

Fedde recorded his second straight outing with five innings pitched and a win. The right-hander was relieved in the sixth by Hagen Smith after logging 83 pitches (47 strikes). The 33-year-old Fedde has posted a 4.00 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 90:47 K:BB in 128.1 innings this season. He is projected to make his next start Thursday against Pittsburgh.

Sasaki (finger) indicated that he felt good following a bullpen session Friday, MLB.com reports.

The Dodgers placed Sasaki on the injured list Aug. 27, one day after he developed a blister on his right middle finger during a start in Atlanta. He'll be eligible for activation Sept. 11, and Sasaki looks like he could be on pace to return that day. Sasaki will still likely need to complete at least one throwing session against live hitters before the Dodgers reinstate him.

Matthews (9-9) picked up the loss after allowing four runs on four hits and one walk over five innings against the White Sox on Friday. He struck out four.

Matthews was burned by the long ball Friday, tying his season high in homers allowed with three. The 26-year-old gave up solo shots to Miguel Vargas and Braden Montgomery, and yielded a two-run homer to Colson Montgomery in the fourth. Matthews now owns a 4.69 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 97:33 K:BB over 117 innings this season. The right-hander is scheduled to make his next start Friday against Cleveland.

Stone (shoulder) hasn't made a rehab appearance for Triple-A Oklahoma City since Aug. 26 due to a minor biceps injury, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Stone skipped out on a rehab start this week to recover from the injury, but the Dodgers are hopeful that he'll be able to make another appearance or two at Triple-A before returning from the 60-day injured list. Prior to the biceps issue cropping up, Stone had been magnificent through his first four rehab starts, posting a 1.54 ERA, 0.43 WHIP and 18:1 K:BB in 11.2 innings. Stone's stellar form at Triple-A looked to have put him in the mix to potentially enter the Dodgers' six-man rotation once activated, but the biceps injury makes it more likely that he works in relief if he's activated before the end of the regular season.