MLB Player News

Lukes went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's win over the Orioles.

The 31-year-old outfielder had the biggest hit of the afternoon, taking Yennier Cano deep in the seventh inning as he pinch hit for Leo Jimenez before staying in the game to play right field. Lukes has nine homers on the season, but four of them have come in the last eight contests, a stretch in which he's driven in nine runs. Despite his recent display of power, Lukes could get squeezed for playing time when Daulton Varsho (hamstring) comes off the IL this weekend.

Mangum is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mangum will cede his spot in the outfield to Jonny DeLuca, who will cover center field while Chandler Simpson shifts over to left field. Since the All-Star break, Mangum has started in nine of the Rays' 13 contests while slashing just .147/.194/.176 with two stolen bases, two runs and zero RBI.

Duran went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and four RBI in Wednesday's 13-1 win over the Twins.

The game was already getting out of hand when the 28-year-old outfielder belted a two-run homer off Noah Davis in the sixth inning. Duran has gone yard in back-to-back games, giving him 11 home runs on the season, and over 11 contests since the All-Star break he's slashing .333/.458/.769 with nine of his 13 hits (four doubles, two triples and three homers) going for extra bases, along with two steals, 10 runs and 10 RBI. Duran had a sluggish start to the campaign, but a hot finish could allow him to come close to matching his production from his breakout 2024.

Grisham is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Rays.

Grisham started the first three games of the series and slugged a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-4 win in 11 innings, but he'll get a breather for Thursday's matinee. The Yankees will go with Cody Bellinger in center field in the series finale.

Straw went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Orioles.

The ball was flying at Camden Yards, and Straw's two-run shot off Dean Kremer in the second inning flew comfortably over the left-field fence even though the light-hitting outfielder didn't think he'd gotten all of it as he left the batter's box. It was Straw's first multi-hit performance since June 26, and through 56 plate appearances in July he's slashing .229/.315/.375 with four doubles, one homer, two steals, six RBI and 11 runs. With Daulton Varsho (hamstring) poised to come off the IL this weekend, Straw's playing time will take a major hit, but he seems to have earned a key spot on the bench for the Blue Jays.

Hummel went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run Wednesday against the Nationals.

Hummel has started seven of 13 games since the All-Star break, four of which have come against lefties. He's struggled mightily at the plate since joining the Astros on June 14, with the homer marking only his third extra-base hit across 86 at-bats. Hummel has also hit .174 with a 28.2 percent strikeout rate in that span.

Palacios (knee) was pulled off of his rehab assignment Wednesday after experiencing right hamstring tightness, MLB.com reports.

Palacios has appeared in only one game this season and has been sidelined since April 17. He appeared to be nearing a return but will now be pulled off his rehab assignment for the second time. The Rays do not have a timeline for Palacios' return, but he is set to undergo further evaluation.

Lowe went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk Wednesday against the Yankees.

Lowe has struggled for most of the season but has shown some modest signs of turning things around of late. He has at least one hit in six of his last seven games, going 8-for-25 with a home run, five RBI, two runs scored and one stolen base. Lowe still has only seven home runs with a .152 ISO across 255 plate appearances on the campaign.

Garcia went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in a 6-3 win against the Angels on Wednesday.

Garcia's eighth-inning long ball turned a one-run lead into a three-run lead for Texas. It was his second homer through 12 games since the All-Star break and his 15th overall this season. He's at just a .667 OPS through 104 games, though, which is on pace to be his lowest over a full season in his big-league career.

Altuve went 4-for-4 with a three-run homer and two additional runs scored in Wednesday's 9-1 win over the Nationals.

Altuve put the Astros ahead for good in the second inning with a two-out blast off MacKenzie Gore, his 18th homer of the year. The 35-year-old Altuve had quite a month at the plate, batting .363 with five homers and a 1.055 OPS across 24 games in July. Overall, he's slashing .284/.345/.465 with 57 RBI, 59 runs scored and six stolen bases across 447 plate appearances this year.