Ramón Laureano, who jammed fingers sliding into third base on Tuesday, is out of the A's lineup for a second straight game Thursday against the Rays.
Laureano was available off the bench Wednesday and presumably will be again today. It doesn't sound like the ailment is keeping him out; the A's just have one too many corner outfield options at the moment.
Gabriel Moreno is back behind the plate Thursday after sitting the last three games.
For some reason, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo has said he wants Moreno and Carson Kelly splitting time evenly for now. Moreno appears to be the better player defensively and probably offensively. Maybe he should sit more than he did while Kelly was absent -- and the three-day break might do him some good after his heavy workload -- but he's earned the majority of the starts. Kelly went 0-for-11 at the plate and was 0-for-7 throwing out basestealers in his starts the previous three days. Moreno is 14-for-28 throwing out basestealers in 45 starts and four appearances off the bench.
Ketel Marte is starting at second base Thursday after missing two games with back tightness.
He's batting second against the Phillies today.
Rays optioned RHP Ryan Thompson to Triple-A Durham.
Thompson made just one appearance in his latest stint with the Rays, pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings Wednesday.
Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos now says it's likely Jesse Chavez will go on the IL with his left shin injury.
That's a reversal from a couple of hours ago, but based on what Chavez told the team this morning, the 39-year-old reliever is going to need some time off.
Adley Rutschman will serve as the designated hitter Thursday against the Blue Jays.
To be expected with the afternoon game. James McCann will start behind the plate and catch Tyler Wells. Meanwhile, Anthony Santander will move back out to right field.
Jesse Chavez (shin) is not expected to require a stint on the injured list.
Chavez had to be carried off the field after being hit in the left shin by a comebacker during Wednesday's game, but fortunately X-rays came back negative for a fracture. He might not pitch Thursday, but it sounds like his return isn't far off.
Sean Doolittle (elbow) has been transferred to Triple-A Rochester.
Good news for Doolittle, who is rehabbing from surgery last June to repair a partially-torn UCL in his left elbow. The 36-year-old has posted a 3.86 ERA and 10/2 K/BB ratio over seven innings between Single-A, High-A, and Double-A thus far. Barring any setbacks, he should be able to join the Nationals' bullpen before the end of the month.
José Quintana (ribs) tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings Tuesday in his first rehab appearance with Single-A St. Lucie.
Quintana threw 26 pitches, giving up two hits and a walk while also inducing a double-play grounder. The veteran southpaw underwent a bone graft surgery on his ribs back in March and is trending toward a return in the early part of July. Signed for two years and $26 million over the winter, Quintana could add some stability to a rotation which has been among the worst in the majors this season.
Kevin Gausman has been moved up to start Friday against the Rangers.
He's staying on regular rest, but the Blue Jays are moving him up ahead of an expected bullpen game on Saturday. That's probably a smart play. Chris Bassitt will make the start in Sunday's game.
Yandy Díaz went 2-for-3 with an RBI, a run scored, and a walk on Wednesday in the Rays' 6-3 win over the A's.
Díaz knocked a single to start the game, but was thrown out at third on a base hit by Wander Franco. He doubled in the fifth to bring in the tying run and drew a walk in the seventh to reach base for the third time. The 31-year-old infielder is batting .311/.404/.539 with 12 homers, 44 runs scored, and 36 RBI across 255 plate appearances.
Camilo Doval fired a scoreless 10th inning on Wednesday against the Cardinals to record his 18th save of the season.
Doval was tasked with protecting a three-run margin in extra innings and wound up needing just 22 pitches (13 strikes) to extinguish any hope of a comeback. The dynamic 25-year-old righty recorded a pair of strikeouts and managed to work around a one-out walk to Nolan Gorman. He's converted 18 of his 19 save opportunities this season to go along with a microscopic 1.80 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 43/13 K/BB ratio across 30 innings (30 appearances).
Jason Adam tossed a scoreless ninth inning with one strikeouts on Wednesday to earn the save against the A's.
Adam was given a three-run lead to work with in the ninth inning. He gave up a leadoff single, but got the next three batters out to secure the win and record his 11th save. The 31-year-old right-hander holds a 2.76 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts across 29 1/3 innings.
JJ Bleday went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer on Wednesday against the Rays.
Bleday brought home all three runs for the A's on Wednesday with a three-run blast off Tyler Glasgow in the second inning. It was the first home run since May 10 for the 25-year-old outfielder. Bleday is batting .211/.312/.400 with four homers across 109 plate appearances.
Yandy Díaz went 2-for-3 with an RBI, a run scored, and a walk on Wednesday in a 6-3 win over the A's.
Díaz knocked a single to start the game, but was thrown out at third on a base hit by Wander Franco. He doubled in the fifth to bring in the tying run and drew a walk in the seventh to reach base for the third time. The 31-year-old infielder is batting .311/.404/.539 with 12 homers, 44 runs scored, and 36 RBI across 255 plate appearances.
Clayton Kershaw allowed two runs with five strikeouts across six innings on Wednesday in a no-decision against the White Sox.
Kershaw gave up a solo homer to Jake Burger in the second inning for the first run of the game. He ran into more trouble in the frame, giving up two hits and a walk to load the bases with two outs before inducing a groundout to escape the jam. Luis Robert Jr. would take Kershaw deep in the third to add a run. The 35-year-old left-hander would get through three more scoreless innings and settled for a no-decision, ending the day with a 2.95 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 98 strikeouts across 82 1/3 innings. He'll take on the Angels in Anaheim his next time out.
Dominic Smith went 2-for-4 with a double, triple and an RBI as the Nationals fell to the Astros on Wednesday evening in Houston.
Smith doubled in the fifth inning and scored on an RBI ground out off the bat of CJ Abrams. He then played a key role in the Nationals' rally in the ninth inning, as he smacked a game-tying RBI triple off of Ryan Pressly, but the Nats' were unable to cash him in. With his two-hit night, the 27-year-old slugger is now hitting .267/.345/.328 with two homers and 17 RBI on the season.
Framber Valdez was terrific in a tough-luck no-decision on Wednesday, allowing just one run on five hits over seven frames against the Nationals.
The left-hander piled up six strikeouts on the night and didn't issue a walk. The lone tally against him came on an RBI ground out by CJ Abrams in the fifth inning. Valdez got 11 whiffs on 95 pitches in the contest, registering a CSW of 25 percent. He exited with a 4-1 lead and in line for his seventh victory, but the Astros' bullpen was unable to hang on for him. He'll carry a stellar 2.27 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and a 95/20 K/BB ratio (91 innings) into Monday's outing against the Mets.
Merrill Kelly allowed three runs with seven strikeouts over six innings on Wednesday in a loss against the Phillies.
Kelly was able to work around two walks with no outs in the first inning, but surrendered a run on a triple and a groundout in the second. A pair of hits and an RBI groundout would plate another run in the third. Kelly would toss two scoreless frames before J.T. Realmuto took him deep for a solo shot in the sixth. The 34-year-old right-hander will take a 3.04 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 89 strikeouts across 83 innings into his next start against the Brewers in Milwaukee on Monday.
Christian Walker went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer and two walks on Wednesday against the Phillies.
The Diamondbacks had been shut out over seven innings against Ranger Suárez. They finally got on the board against the Phillies in the eighth as Walker blasted a game-tying three-run homer off of Seranthony Dominguez. The 32-year-old slugger is hitting .261/.328/.494 with 13 homers and 42 RBI across 272 plate appearances.