Jean Segura (hamstring) is not in Friday's lineup against the Nationals.
Segura apparently need some extra time to recuperate after he felt something with his hamstring during Wednesday's game. Jon Berti will start at third base and bat seventh against right-hander Trevor Williams.
Rafael Devers is back in the starting lineup Friday against the Yankees.
Devers didn't play Wednesday and the Red Sox were idle on Thursday, so he was able to get two days off. He'll bat third against Domingo German in his return to action.
Mets signed OF Rafael Ortega to a minor league contract.
Ortega will report to Triple-A Syracuse for now. The 31-year-old was released by the Rangers earlier this month after slashing .226/.333/.381 with five homers and eight stolen bases across 44 games in Triple-A. He'll provide upper-level outfield depth with his new team.
Robert Stock has signed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League.
Stock was with the Brewers in spring training and posted an ugly 8.22 ERA over 11 appearances (including four starts) with Triple-A Nashville. The 33-year-old will try to showcase himself for another chance with a major league organization.
Royals signed INF Adeiny Hechavarria to a minor league contract.
Hechavarria had been playing with the independent Long Island Ducks after failing to make the Braves out of spring training. The 34-year-old hasn't appeared in the majors since 2020 and will mostly function as organization depth at this point in his career.
Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net reports that the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization have signed left-hander Ian McKinney.
He'll make $185,000 on the deal in replacing Eric Jokisch on the roster. McKinney, 28, was a fifth-round pick of the Cardinals back in 2015 and has been pitching in independent ball since being released by the Mariners last summer. He has never appeared in the majors.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Friday that Ryan Mountcastle (vertigo) is improving, but not quite ready to return.
Mountcastle was spotted on the field taking some throws at first base on Friday, which is at least an indication that he's moving in the right direction. The 26-year-old hasn't played since June 8.
Cardinals prospect right-hander Gordon Graceffo (shoulder) has been activated from the 7-day injured list for Triple-A Louisville.
Graceffo hasn't pitched since April 28 due to right shoulder inflammation, but he's ready to get back in game action. Ranked as the Cardinals' No. 4 prospect by MLB Pipeline, the 23-year-old had a 4.91 ERA and 20/10 K/BB ratio in 22 innings across five starts in Triple-A prior to going down. He could be an option for the Cardinals' rotation at some point this summer if he can prove his health and effectiveness in his return to action.
Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net reports that left-hander Eric Jokisch has been released by the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization.
Jokisch was released after it was determined he would miss six weeks with a partial tear in his left abductor muscle. The 33-year-old has been with the Kiwoom Heroes since 2019 -- posting a 2.85 ERA in 130 appearances -- and hasn't appeared in the majors since 2014 with the Cubs.
Diamondbacks signed RHP Stephen Nogosek to a minor league contract.
The deal reportedly includes multiple opt-outs and he'll report to Triple-A Reno on Monday. Nogosek opted for free agency this week after being outrighted off the Mets' 40-man roster. The 28-year-old posted a rough 5.61 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and a 25/14 K/BB ratio across 25 2/3 innings with New York this season. He'll make for useful bullpen depth for Arizona.
Codi Heuer (elbow) is scheduled to throw for Triple-A Iowa this weekend.
Heuer began his rehab assignment over a month ago, but the Cubs were granted an extension as he works through some control issues. So far, the 26-year-old has posted an 8.74 ERA and 13/9 K/BB ratio over 11 1/3 innings in Triple-A as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery.
Chris Taylor hit a grand slam and walked as the Dodgers edged the White Sox 5-4 on Thursday.
Taylor hit the slam off Reynaldo López in the sixth. He also scored the winning run in the 11th, though that was as the automatic runner after he struck out with two on and two outs in the 10th. The slam was Taylor's 11th homer in 179 plate appearances, giving him one more than he finished with in 454 plate appearances last season. He hasn't been very good otherwise -- he's batting .209/.274/.460 -- be at least he hasn't declined further from last season.
Jason Heyward went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts as the Dodgers' cleanup man on Thursday.
Heyward hit three homers in his first four starts this year, but he's been mediocre since, batting .227 with four homers and nine RBI in 140 plate appearances. It seems like time for the Dodgers to give Jonny Deluca more of a chance in his place.
Dylan Cease yielded two runs in 5 1/3 innings Thursday in a no-decision versus the Dodgers.
Cease struck out 10 and took a shutout into the sixth, but the Dodgers came through with four runs then, two of which were charged to Cease. It was still a better showing than many Cease has enjoyed recently, but he remained stuck on three wins for the fourth straight start.
Evan Phillips pitched hitless ninth and 10th innings and struck out four Thursday against the White Sox.
Caleb Ferguson wound up with the win in the 11th tonight, but Phillips starred in protecting the tie for two innings. While Phillips hasn't earned a save in a month, he remains as good of a bet as anyone in the Dodgers pen in that category.
Chris Taylor hit a grand slam and walked Thursday as the Dodgers edged the White Sox 5-4 on Thursday.
Taylor hit the slam off Reynaldo López in the sixth. He also scored the winning run in the 11th, though that was as the automatic runner after he struck out with two on and two outs in the 10th. The slam was Taylor's 11th homer in 179 plate appearances, giving him one more than he finished with in 454 plate appearances last season. He hasn't been very good otherwise -- he's batting .209/.274/.460 -- be at least he hasn't declined further from last season.
Logan Allen was tagged for five runs in three innings by the Padres on Thursday.
Allen was spotted five runs in the top of the first, so this was a pretty disappointing outing. He walked Fernando Tatis Jr. and Juan Soto back-to-back in both the first and second innings. He followed up the sequence by giving up a Manny Machado homer the first time, but he was able to retire Machado the second time through, protecting the Guardians lead. It certainly would have been nice if Allen had been better, but the Guardians did move to 7-3 in his 10 starts. He has a 3.95 ERA and a 53/19 K/BB ratio in 54 2/3 innings.
José Ramírez finished 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a walk Thursday as the Guardians defeated the Padres 8-6.
The Guardians were outplayed after scoring five runs in the top of the first, but the cushion proved sufficient. Ramírez is 16-for-35 with four homers, 10 RBI and four walks during his current eight-game hitting streak.
Jacob Webb picked up Carlos Estévez on Thursday, retiring three of the four batters he faced versus the Rangers for his first save.
After Estévez walked all three batters he faced in a three-run game, Webb came in and got the job done, allowing just one runner to score. It was his fourth career save; he had two in 2019 and one in 2021 for the Braves. He probably won't be in line for more saves, but he could start racking up holds for the Angels.
Carlos Estévez walked all three batters he faced in a save situation Thursday against the Rangers.
The Angels smartly bailed on Estévez after the third walk, and Jacob Webb allowed just one of the runners to score while getting all three outs in the ninth. As a result, Estévez's ERA was barely affected by the ugly showing. He's still 18-for-20 saving games at the moment.