Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Nelson Cruz went 2-for-4 with a homer, two runs, and a walk during a 10-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday. The 41-year-old returned to Minnesota for the first time since being traded to Tampa Bay on July 22 and promptly homered in the third inning off of Twins starting pitcher Michael Pineda. The seven-time All-Star has slashed .206/.270/.471 with five homers, 11 RBI, and 11 runs through 68 at-bats with his new club. On the season, Cruz has 24 HR, 61 RBI, 55 runs, and three stolen bases with a .277/.353/.525 line over 364 at-bats. While the lack of position flexibility dings his value, the timeless Cruz is heading towards his eighth season with 30 or more homers.

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Nelson Cruz went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run during Saturday's 12-3 win over the Orioles. He took Orioles starter Spenser Watkins deep in the fifth inning for his 23rd long ball of the season. The Boomstick has now homered in back-to-back games. Cruz has been red hot in August, hitting .304 (7-for-23) with two home runs and seven RBI over five games during the month. The 41-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down, slashing .284/.357/.533 with a .895 OPS across 395 plate appearances in 2021.

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Nelson Cruz went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run during Saturday's 12-3 win over the Orioles. He took Orioles starter Spenser Watkins deep in the fifth inning for his 23rd long ball of the season. The Boomstick has now homered in back-to-back games. Cruz has been red hot in August, hitting .304 (7-for-23) with two home runs and seven RBI over five games during the month. The 41-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down, slashing .284/.357/.533 with a .895 OPS across 395 plate appearances in 2021.

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Nelson Cruz went 2-for-6 with a double, home run, and five RBI during Friday's 10-6 win over the Orioles. He launched a two-run shot off Conner Greene to tie the game 6-6. The 41-year-old later hit a two-run double in the eighth frame to give the Rays an 8-6 lead. The Boomstick has now collected multi-hit efforts in each of his last three games. Cruz continues to produce in 2021, slashing .282/.356/.524 with 22 homers, 58 RBI, 50 runs scored, and three stolen bases over 96 games.

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Nelson Cruz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Seattle Mariners. The 41-year-old is hitting .184 (7-for-38) with two home runs, three RBI, and 12 strikeouts since being acquired by the Rays on July 23. Cruz will get a breather on Wednesday. Austin Meadows is batting fourth and will handle designated hitter duties for Wednesday's matinee. Meadows is locked in at the plate right now, hitting .368 (7-for-19) with two home runs, five RBI, and five runs scored over his last five games.

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Nelson Cruz went 2-for-5 with a run scored during Friday's 7-3 win over the Red Sox. He returned to the lineup Friday after missing the previous two games due to a right-foot contusion. The 41-year-old collected two hits and recorded his first multi-hit effort as a member of the Rays. Cruz is slashing .286/.364/.531 with 21 home runs, 52 RBI, 48 runs scored, and three stolen bases over 91 games in 2021. Fantasy managers should continue to roll with "The Boomstick" in all league formats.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The AL East-leading Boston Red Sox acquired right-hander Hansel Robles from Minnesota and left-hander Austin Davis from Pittsburgh in a pair of trades Friday. Boston sent infielder-outfielder Michael Chavis to the Pirates and minor league right-hander Alex Scherff to the Twins. Robles made 45 appearances for the Twins this season, going 3-4 with 10 saves and a 4.91 ERA. He has appeared in 358 major league games overall. Davis has made 65 relief appearances with the Philadelphia Phillies (2018-20) and Pirates (2020-21), posting a 5.65 ERA. The left-hander has appeared in 10 games with Pittsburgh and 13 in the minors this year. “Everybody has seen our bullpen has done a great job this year, and we wanted to back that up by getting them reinforcements to make sure we have as many good options as possible down the stretch," Boston chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said. Boston began the day with the third-best AL bullpen ERA at 3.62. Chavis hit .190 with two home... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Despite all the speculation that surrounded José Berríos this month, with the Minnesota Twins nowhere near contention and ready to reload for the future, the right-hander wasn’t ready to accept he could be traded. The news that he was heading to Toronto on Friday brought him and his wife to tears. Then came the really hard part, having to break the news to their three children that he was joining the Blue Jays in a deadline-day deal that sent two highly rated minor leaguers to the Twins. “I know that it will be hard because this year, they are bigger. They are growing up. They know more about life and also some people,” Berríos said, predicting the greatest difficulty for 7-year-old daughter Valentina. Soon-to-be-5-year-old Sebastian and 3-year-old Diego had grown fond of Minneapolis and their friends there, too. Berríos, drafted 32nd overall by the Twins in 2012, debuted with Minnesota in 2015. Though Puerto Rico was their home, he and his wife, Jannieliz, became strongly... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Despite all the speculation that surrounded José Berríos this month, with the Minnesota Twins nowhere near contention and ready to reload for the future, the right-hander wasn't ready to accept he could be traded. The news that he was heading to Toronto on Friday brought him and his wife to tears. Then came the really hard part, having to break the news to their three children that he was joining the Blue Jays in a deadline-day deal that sent two highly rated minor leaguers to the Twins. “I know that it will be hard because this year, they are bigger. They are growing up. They know more about life and also some people,” Berríos said, predicting the greatest difficulty for 7-year-old daughter Valentina. Soon-to-be-5-year-old Sebastian and 3-year-old Diego had grown fond of Minneapolis and their friends there, too. Berríos, drafted 32nd overall by the Twins in 2012, debuted with Minnesota in 2015. Though Puerto Rico was their home, he and his wife, Jannieliz, became strongly... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The AL East-leading Boston Red Sox acquired right-hander Hansel Robles from Minnesota and left-hander Austin Davis from Pittsburgh in a pair of trades Friday. Boston sent infielder-outfielder Michael Chavis to the Pirates and minor league right-hander Alex Scherff to the Twins. Robles made 45 appearances for the Twins this season, going 3-4 with 10 saves and a 4.91 ERA. He has appeared in 358 major league games overall. Davis has made 65 relief appearances with the Philadelphia Phillies (2018-20) and Pirates (2020-21), posting a 5.65 ERA. The left-hander has appeared in 10 games with Pittsburgh and 13 in the minors this year. Chavis hit .190 with two home runs and six RBIs in 31 games for the Red Sox this season. Scherff has spent time this season with Double-A Portland and High-A Greenville, going 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA. The Red Sox were relatively quiet before Friday's trade deadline compared to the other playoff contenders in the AL East. Second-place Tampa Bay picked up veteran slugger Nelson Cruz and outfielder Jordan Luplow, while the New York Yankees added left-handed hitters Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo to help balance a right-handed dominated lineup. Toronto added closer Brad Hand on Thursday and starting pitcher José Berríos on Friday. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Nelson Cruz (foot) is batting second and will handle designated hitter duties in Friday's contest against the Red Sox. He missed the last two games due to a right-foot contusion. The 41-year-old returns on Friday, and fantasy managers can safely activate him into their starting lineups. Cruz has shown no signs of slowing down, slashing .284/.364/.534 with 21 home runs, 52 RBI, 47 runs scored, and three stolen bases over 90 games in 2021.

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles traded right-hander Shawn Armstrong to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash on Friday. The right-handed reliever has spent parts of seven seasons in the majors. Armstrong has an 8.55 ERA in 20 appearances with the Orioles this season and was with Triple-A Norfolk at the time of the deal. The Rays have been both buyers and sellers ahead of Friday's trade deadline, acquiring slugger Nelson Cruz from the Minnesota Twins and shipping right-hander Diego Castillo to the Seattle Mariners for reliever JT Chargois and a minor league infielder. Tampa Bay entered Friday trailing first-place Boston by 1 1/2 games in the AL East and leading the AL wild-card race. Baltimore, which is last in the AL East, made another move Friday, claiming left-hander Ryan Hartman off waivers from the Astros. Hartman had been designed for assignment by Houston on Sunday. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The playoff-chasing Toronto Blue Jays won the pursuit for All-Star pitcher José Berríos, acquiring the Minnesota right-hander for two minor leaguers on Friday. The Twins got infielder/outfielder Austin Martin and righty Simeon Woods Richardson for their top pitcher. The deal was made shortly before the 4 p.m. EDT trade deadline. Berríos was 7-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 20 starts for the Twins this season, and attracted interest from several contenders. Toronto began the day at 51-48, in the fifth spot chasing two AL wild-card slots. The 27-year-old Berríos was Minnesota’s unquestioned ace, a two-time All-Star who has been as durable as any pitcher in the game and remains under team control through the 2022 season. Berríos struck out 126 in 121 2/3 innings this season and held opponents to a .213 batting average. He was 55-43 with a 4.08 ERA in six season with Minnesota. Dealing Berríos will set a struggling rotation back even further, but the Twins had all the leverage with so many teams on the... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles traded right-hander Shawn Armstrong to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash on Friday. The right-handed reliever has spent parts of seven seasons in the majors. Armstrong has an 8.55 ERA in 20 appearances with the Orioles this season and was with Triple-A Norfolk at the time of the deal. The Rays have been both buyers and sellers ahead of Friday's trade deadline, acquiring slugger Nelson Cruz from the Minnesota Twins and shipping right-hander Diego Castillo to the Seattle Mariners for reliever JT Chargois and a minor league infielder. Tampa Bay entered Friday trailing first-place Boston by 1 1/2 games in the AL East and leading the AL wild-card race. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Nelson Cruz (foot) will remain on the bench for Thursday's game against the Yankees due to a right foot contusion. He will be available to pinch hit. Fantasy managers will have to wait at least another day to activate Cruz into their lineups; his next chance to return will be Friday against the Red Sox. Since being acquired by the Rays on July 22, Cruz is slashing .118/2.251/471 with two home runs and seven strikeouts over 20 plate appearances. Austin Meadows will handle designated hitter duties while Cruz is sidelined. Meadows has bounced back in 2021 after a disappointing 2020 campaign, slashing .238/.327/.462 over 407 plate appearances. Fantasy managers should continue to roll with Meadows as they have been all season.

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Nelson Cruz (foot) was scratched from Wednesday's game against the Yankees due to a right foot contusion. He should be available off the bench in a pinch-hitting role. "Cruz is fine," said manager Keith Cash. "X-rays on his right foot came back negative." Brett Phillips replaced Cruz in the lineup, and Austin Meadows will handle designated hitter duties in Wednesday's contests. The 41-year-old is considered day-to-day. Phillips can be used as a streamer in deep-league formats as he's hit well recently, hitting .571 (4-for-7) with a homer and a stolen base over his last four games.

BOSTON (AP) — Held hitless into the eighth inning by Domingo Germán and looking feeble, Alex Verdugo and the Boston Red Sox suddenly erupted for five runs and stormed past the New York Yankees 5-4 Sunday. Verdugo opened the eighth with a long double for Boston’s first hit. Later, Kiké Hernández slid home headfirst on Xander Bogaerts’ sacrifice fly with the go-ahead run to cap the rally. The Red Sox won for the 10th time in 13 games against the Yankees and reclaimed first place in the AL East, a game ahead of Tampa Bay. New York fell nine games behind Boston. Boston trailed 4-0 when Verdugo doubled to deep right, and Germán was lifted after the hit. Jonathan Loaisiga (7-4) relieved, and Boston broke loose with four straight hits. Hunter Renfroe had an RBI double, Christian Vázquez singled home a run and Hernández followed with an RBI double, cutting it to 4-3. Zack Britton relieved and pinch-hitter Kevin Plawecki’s groundout plated the tying run. Hernández hustled hard and beat right fielder... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Held hitless into the eighth inning by Domingo Germán and looking feeble, Alex Verdugo and the Boston Red Sox suddenly erupted for five runs and stormed past the New York Yankees 5-4 Sunday. Verdugo opened the eighth with a long double for Boston’s first hit. Later, Kiké Hernández slid home headfirst on Xander Bogaerts’ sacrifice fly with the go-ahead run to cap the rally. The Red Sox won for the 10th time in 13 games against the Yankees and reclaimed first place in the AL East, a game ahead of Tampa Bay. New York fell nine games behind Boston. Boston trailed 4-0 when Verdugo doubled to deep right, and Germán was lifted after the hit. Jonathan Loaisiga (7-4) relieved, and Boston broke loose with four straight hits. Hunter Renfroe had an RBI double, Christian Vázquez singled home a run and Hernández followed with an RBI double, cutting it to 4-3. Zack Britton relieved and pinch-hitter Kevin Plawecki’s groundout plated the tying run. Hernández hustled hard and beat right fielder... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Rafael Devers hit two home runs, including a go-ahead blast in the fifth inning, to help the Boston Red Sox best New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole for the second straight time at Fenway Park in a 6-2 victory Friday night. Devers followed his two-run with a three-run homer in the seventh — the 100th of his career — to help Boston improve to 9-2 against New York this season. The Red Sox maintained their one-game AL East lead over Tampa Bay and increased their lead to nine games over the third-place Yankees. Yacksel Rios (3-0) got the victory, pitching two scoreless innings to cap a strong night from the bullpen after starter Eduardo Rodriguez left in the second inning after experiencing migraine symptoms. Cole (10-5) started strong for New York, but was pulled after fiving innings, giving up three runs off six hits, striking out eight and walking two. METS 3, BLUE JAYS 0 NEW YORK (AP) — Tylor Megill threw six scoreless innings for his first big league victory and got his first... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Rafael Devers hit two home runs, including a go-ahead blast in the fifth inning, to help the Boston Red Sox best New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole for the second straight time at Fenway Park in a 6-2 victory Friday night. Devers followed his two-run with a three-run homer in the seventh — the 100th of his career — to help Boston improve to 9-2 against New York this season. The Red Sox maintained their one-game AL East lead over Tampa Bay and increased their lead to nine games over the third-place Yankees. Yacksel Rios (3-0) got the victory, pitching two scoreless innings to cap a strong night from the bullpen after starter Eduardo Rodriguez left in the second inning after experiencing migraine symptoms. Cole (10-5) started strong for New York, but was pulled after fiving innings, giving up three runs off six hits, striking out eight and walking two. METS 3, BLUE JAYS 0 NEW YORK (AP) — Tylor Megill threw six scoreless innings for his first big league victory and got his first... [More]