Chris Taylor slugged his 10th home run of the season on Thursday, helping to power the Dodgers to a lopsided victory over the Reds in Cincinnati.
Taylor victimized Fernando Cruz for his 401-foot (105.9 mph EV) blast in the fourth inning that extended the Dodgers' early lead to 4-0. The 32-year-old utilityman finished the day 2-for-4 and is now hitting .211/.276/.479 on the season to go along with 10 homers, 22 RBI and six stolen bases.
David Peralta went 4-for-5 and drove in a pair of runs on Thursday as the Dodgers dispatched of the Reds in Cincinnati.
Peralta delivered a two-run single off of Graham Ashcraft in the third inning that extended the Dodgers' advantage to 3-0. All four of his hits in the ballgame were singles. With the four-hit attack, the 35-year-old outfielder is now slashing .261/.291/.359 with two homers, 22 RBI and one stolen base on the season.
Freddie Freeman stayed hot at the dish in Thursday's 6-0 victory over the Reds, going 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI and a run scored.
Freeman also drew two walks in the ballgame -- reaching base safely in four of his five plate appearances. He opened the scoring with an RBI single off of Graham Ashcraft in the third inning, then came around to score on a two-run single off the bat of David Peralta. Freeman also tacked on an additional run in the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly that increased the Dodgers' lead to 6-0. The superstar first baseman is having a tremendous season for the Dodgers -- slashing .333/.407/.563 with 11 homers, 41 RBI and eight stolen bases.
Jake Marisnick is not in the Tigers' starting lineup for Thursday's matchup against the Phillies.
Marisnick has been functioning as the Tigers' regular center fielder since he was acquired by the Phillies, but he'll get a breather in this one. Akil Baddoo will slide over and draw a start in center while Tyler Nevin will start in left field and bat eighth against Zack Wheeler and the Phillies on Thursday evening in Philadelphia.
C.J. Cron told reporters on Thursday that he's still dealing with pain in his lower back and there's currently no timetable for his return.
Ugh. Cron has been shelved since mid-May due to back spasms and has yet to resume any sort of baseball activities. At this stage, it's likely going to be a matter of weeks before he starts to show any signs of progress. Fantasy managers in redraft leagues may need to make a tough decision and drop Cron rather than waiting out this injury. The 33-year-old was hitting .228/.277/.426 with six homers and 20 RBI in 148 plate appearances before landing on the injured list.
Austin Barnes was removed from Thursday's game against the Reds after being drilled on the right hand by a pitch during the top half of the ninth inning.
Barnes will presumably head for X-rays to see if there are any fractures. Expect the Dodgers to have an update on his status once that imaging is done. Barnes had been 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI on Thursday -- raising his season slash to a still putrid .103/.193/.128.
Alex Verdugo is absent from the Red Sox' starting lineup for Thursday's contest against the Guardians.
It looks to be a routine day off for the 27-year-old outfielder who has started each of the club's last eight games. Rob Refsnyder will start in his place in right field on Thursday night and will bat sixth against Aaron Civale and the Guardians.
Jorge Polanco was removed from Thursdays game against the Rays in the first inning with an apparent leg injury.
Polanco sustained the injury while running the bases in the first inning. He’ll presumably head for further evaluation. Expect the Twins to provide an update on his status as soon as one becomes available.
Sean Murphy is not in the Braves' starting lineup for Thursday's affair against the Mets.
It looks to be just a regular day of rest for the hard-hitting backstop. Travis d'Arnaud will take his place behind the dish and bat cleanup against Justin Verlander and the Mets on Thursday evening in Atlanta.
Padres signed RHP Blake Cederlind to a minor league contract.
The 27-year-old right-hander was released by the Pirates at the end of May. He has appeared in just five games this year at Single-A Bradenton where he posted a 13.50 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and a 6/6 K/BB ratio over six innings of work. He'll add minor league bullpen depth for the Padres.
Nationals claimed LHP Joe LaSorsa off of waivers from the Nationals.
The 25-year-old southpaw had been designated for assignment by the Rays earlier in the week. He appeared in just two games during his brief stay with the Rays, registering a 2.08 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and a 3/3 K/BB ratio across 4 1/3 innings. He'll add bullpen depth for the Nationals.
Red Sox optioned LHP Chris Murphy to Triple-A Worcester.
The Red Sox needed to free up a spot on the active roster for Matt Dermody to start on Thursday and it looks like Murphy drew the short straw this time around. Murphy impressed in his big league debut on Wednesday -- piling up five strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball. He should get another opportunity with the Red Sox before the summer is through.
Josh Donaldson is not in the Yankees' starting lineup for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the White Sox.
It always seemed unlikely that Donaldson would play in both halves of the twin bill, so it's not surprising to see him sitting for the first one. DJ LeMahieu will cover third base and bat sixth for the Yankees against Lance Lynn and the White Sox on Thursday afternoon in New York.
Yasmani Grandal is not in the White Sox' starting lineup for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Yankees.
He'll presumably be back in there behind the plate for the nightcap on Thursday. Seby Zavala will don the tools of intelligence in his place and will bat ninth for the White Sox against Luis Severino and the Yankees on Thursday afternoon in New York.
Mike Yastrzemski is not in the Giants' starting lineup for Thursday's showdown against the Rockies.
Yastrzemski had played in two straight games after battling through some tightness in his right side, so the Giants are likely just easing him back into action here. Austin Slater will start in his place in center field and bat eighth for the Giants on Thursday afternoon at Coors Field.
Yankees placed LHP Nestor Cortes on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 5, with a left rotator cuff sprain.
As anticipated, Cortes lands on the injured list and will be shelved for at least a few weeks. Matt Krook was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a corresponding move before the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader, though Randy Vasquez is expected to start the nightcap in Cortes’ place.
Yankees recalled LHP Matt Krook from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
The left-handed will give the Yankees a fresh arm in the bullpen for at least one game in the front half of Thursday’s doubleheader.
Aaron Hicks is not in the Orioles lineup for Thursday’s matinee against the Brewers.
Hicks has been seeing fairly regular action in center field since joining the O’s, but he’ll grab a seat in this one. Austin Hays will cover center while Ryan O’Hearn draws a rare start in left field for the Orioles on Thursday.
Tigers acquired INF Joe Rizzo from the Marlins.
The 25-year-old had been hitting just .203/.276/.313 with three homers and 22 RBI between Double-Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville. He’ll add minor league outfield depth for the Tigers.
Victor Robles (back) will begin a minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Rochester on Thursday.
Robles is expected to play there through the weekend before being re-evaluated. He has been shelved since May 7 due to back spasms.