MLB Player News

Smith went 0-for-2 with three walks and a run scored in Thursday's win over the Guardians.

Starting at third base and batting sixth, Smith didn't manage to put the ball in play on the night, striking out twice in addition to his walks. Through 16 games for the Blue Jays since being picked up from the Rangers at the trade deadline, Smith has delivered a .250/.368/.531 slash line -- a remarkable turnaround from the .213/.299/.272 line he'd limped to in Texas this season. Per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic, Smith's improvement can be largely attributed to tweaks with his swing suggested by his new hitting coaches that have upped his bat speed from 68.3 mph with the Rangers to 74.0 mph during Wednesday's game. "[It's about] knowing what I'm best at," Smith said Thursday about the adjustments. "Like how the way my body is moving when it's best, the type of load patterns and stuff like that. They've really helped out."

The Guardians designated Hernandez for assignment Friday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Hernandez was summoned Tuesday when rosters expanded, and he allowed two runs over three innings of work covering two appearances this week. The veteran reliever will likely pass through waivers unclaimed, and if that happens he would have the ability to elect free agency.

The Guardians recalled Peterson from Triple-A Columbus on Friday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Peterson was added to the Guardians' 40-man roster last offseason, but this will be his first stint in the big leagues. The 26-year-old has logged a 4.53 ERA and 102:34 K:BB across 95.1 frames this season with Columbus. Peterson will likely be needed to cover some innings during Friday's doubleheader versus the Tigers.

The Guardians activated Cecconi (arm) from the 15-day injured list Friday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Cecconi has been sidelined for nearly a month with right arm fatigue, but he's been cleared to return after allowing two runs over 3.2 innings in two rehab outings. The right-hander will be used in a relief role down the stretch, and there's a good chance he'll be needed to pitch during Friday's doubleheader against the Tigers.

Gimenez went 1-for-5 with a stolen base in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Guardians.

The former Cleveland shortstop swiped his first bag since Aug. 20 to reach 20 for the fourth time in his career. Gimenez has been finding ways to contribute at the plate down the stretch, and over 27 games since the beginning of August he's produced a .281/.337/.360 slash line with one homer, eight steals, nine runs and 11 RBI.

The Guardians placed Holderman on the 15-day injured list Friday with right wrist inflammation, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Holderman first developed the wrist issue in mid-August, and it's continued to nag at him enough to finally force an IL stint. The righty reliever will be eligible for activation Sept. 19, but it's unclear whether he will be ready to go on that date.

Rogers worked a scoreless eighth inning Thursday to record his 30th hold of the season in a 6-3 win over the Guardians. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.

The veteran reliever hit Brayan Rocchio with a pitch, but it was otherwise an efficient appearance from Rogers, who needed just nine pitches (six strikes) to protect a 5-3 lead before the Blue Jays tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Rogers has reached 30 holds for a fourth straight season and the fifth time in his career, and he's got a strong chance of topping the career high of 33 he set with the Giants in 2024.

Bieber (shoulder) was scheduled to throw off flat ground Thursday, but he remains without a timeline for his return to game action, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

The Blue Jays have just 21 games left on their regular-season schedule, and it's looking increasingly likely that if Bieber pitches again this year, it will have to be in the playoffs. The veteran righty was just starting to find his form when he was shut down in late August with teres major inflammation, as he recorded four quality starts in seven outings after the All-Star break with a 2.84 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 38 innings.

Odle notched a career-high 12 strikeouts while yielding two runs over 4.2 innings Thursday in his final start of the season with High-A Peoria.

It's a fitting end to a season that saw Odle rack up 143 strikeouts over 96 innings between Single-A Palm Beach and Peoria. He also walked 65 batters, so Odle has some work to do from a control perspective, but the 22-year-old right-hander has big-time stuff and has established himself as a legitimate pitching prospect in the Cardinals' revamped system.

The Cardinals expect to activate Winn (thumb) from the 10-day injured list sometime during this weekend's series in Colorado, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Winn's return was considered for a series this week versus the Dodgers, but the Cardinals opted to have him go through another round of workouts instead. The shortstop could be activated as soon as Friday. Winn is working his way back from a small fracture in his left thumb.