MLB Player News

The Rays optioned Madrigal to Triple-A Durham on Thursday.

Madrigal went 3-for-10 and drove in one run during his brief time on the big-league roster. His roster spot is being absorbed by Taylor Walls (hip), who has returned from the injured list.

The Rays activated Walls (hip) from the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Walls required just a minimum 10-day absence as he recovered from a right hip flexor strain. He'll return to a lowly .218/.304/.292 batting line. Nick Madrigal was sent down to Triple-A Durham in a corresponding roster move.

Rave went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 5-2 win over Houston.

Rave opened the scoring with a two-run blast in the fourth inning. The 28-year-old has seen more action in right field this season, but he patrolled center field in favor of the light-hitting Kyle Isbel on Wednesday. In 131 plate appearances, Rave is slashing .219/.310/.447 with six homers, 13 RBI, 22 runs and seven stolen bases.

Contreras went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Rangers.

Contreras belted a two-run homer in the first inning that gave Boston an early lead. The blast was his career-high 27th and accounted for his 81st RBI, which is also a career-best figure.

Foscue started at second base and batted leadoff, going 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 7-3 win over Boston.

Foscue settled in at leadoff for a third consecutive game, all against left-handed starters. He typically doesn't start against righties. Foscue has hammered southpaws this season, posting a slash line of .326/.397/.607 with eight home runs and 27 RBI over 151 plate appearances.

Eovaldi improved to 11-9 on the season after allowing one hit and no walks while striking out one batter over four scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Red Sox.

Eovaldi made his second relief appearance since coming off the injured list last weekend and shut down the Red Sox. He was needed for length as starter MacKenzie Gore battled muscle spasms in his shoulder and was limited to four innings. After tossing 46 pitches Wednesday, Eovaldi could be built up enough to make an abbreviated start or bulk-relief appearance at some point during the final week of the regular season. The Rangers could have some openings in the rotation, as Gore and Cal Quantrill (back) are battling injuries, while Cody Bradford has gone 0-5 with a 4.72 ERA in his seven starts since returning from the 60-day IL in early August.

Adell went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the White Sox.

Adell was a significant contributor for a second straight game, delivering a two-run single in the third inning. This, after he belted a two-run home run during Tuesday's 7-6 win. Adell, playing meaningful September baseball for the first time in his career, has hit safely in five consecutive contests, going 6-for-20 with one double, two home runs and six RBI during the streak.

Pecko is expected to pitch in bulk relief behind opener Miguel Ullola in Thursday's game against the Royals, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The Astros will go back to an arrangement that yielded strong results in last Friday's 3-1 loss to the Rays. In that contest, Ullola started and tossed a scoreless inning, while Pecko entered the game in the midway through the third. The 24-year-old Pecko proceeded to deliver his best MLB performance to date, limiting the Rays to one run on one hit and two walks while striking out four over 5.2 innings.

Halpin started in center field and went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the White Sox.

Halpin was in the starting lineup for a second straight day with both Chase DeLauter (wrist) and Angel Martinez (side) unavailable and became an unlikely difference-maker in the win. The left-handed batter, who had gone deep just three times through 73 games, went into his home run trot after belting a three-run shot in the sixth inning to give Cleveland a 5-3 lead. Halpin's contributions enabled the Guardians to win the series and take over first place in the AL Central, a half game ahead of the White Sox.

Guzman went 4-for-5 with one run scored in Wednesday's 7-2 loss to the Mariners.

Guzman has had some spotty hitting lately. He has just two multi-hit efforts in September, going 11-for-37 (.297) over 11 contests this month, though just two of his knocks in that span have gone for extra bases. The infielder is batting .230 with a .622 OPS, seven home runs, 28 RBI, 28 runs scored and two stolen bases across 77 contests.