Outfielder Chris Coghlan is one of several Cubs players who have reached out to Tommy La Stella, who opted not to report to Triple-A Iowa when he was optioned on July 29. La Stella was batting .295 when he was sent to the Minors to make room for Coghlan.

Anthony Recker made yet another positive impression as he showed off his arm strength while throwing out three would-be basestealers during Thursday afternoon’s 11-3 loss to the Brewers at Miller Park.

For David Ortiz, day to day meant no days missed.

Prior to the start of a four-game set in Cleveland, the Angels reinforced their bullpen by adding left-hander Brett Oberholtzer to the 25-man roster Thursday afternoon. To make room, Los Angeles optioned right-hander A.J. Achter to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Robinson Cano came up playing next to Yankees greats such as Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada, and he has taken what he learned from those veterans to Seattle, where he has been able to elevate young talent.

Saturday will be LGBT Pride Night at Citi Field, making the Mets the first team in New York’s four major professional sports to host an official event for this community.

When Mets infielder Kelly Johnson said last weekend that opposing teams would not feel bad for the Mets and their injuries, he may as well have been talking directly to the D-backs. To a team that lost MVP candidate A.J. Pollock before the season even started. To a team that played much of the summer without star pitcher Zack Greinke. To a team that announced Thursday that outfielder David Peralta will undergo season-ending surgery.

Pirates rookie Jameson Taillon continued to pitch with poise and polish beyond his years, throwing eight scoreless innings and leading the Bucs to a 4-0 win over the Padres on Thursday at PNC Park.

In a series where the D-backs ran wild and effortlessly swiped any bag they wanted, even a pitcher decided to get in on the action.

The Astros on Thursday announced plans to proceed with last year’s proposed renovations of the center field area at Minute Maid Park, including the removal of Tal’s Hill following this season. The changes were originally scheduled to take place after the 2015 season, but the team later postponed the project.

Twins position players have regaled manager Paul Molitor with claims of knuckleballs, split-fingers and more in futile requests to pitch in a game. When the situation finally arose, it was shortstop Eduardo Escobar who made his first career appearance on the mound for the Twins in the ninth inning of Thursday afternoon’s 15-7 loss to the Astros in the first half of a day-night doubleheader.

We’ve reached the point in the greatness of Jose Altuve where words don’t do much justice any more. Altuve is growing weary of talking about himself, his teammates are running out of adjectives and Astros manager A.J. Hinch on Thursday jokingly told reporters they should “cut and paste” his quotes about Altuve from the day before.

In their quest to reach the postseason, the Marlins are open to pretty much anything when it comes to making roster additions. That could even mean pursuing Alex Rodriguez after he is released by the Yankees on Friday, and eventually clears waivers.

Minutes after the last-place D-backs handed the Mets their latest defeat, a 9-0 thumping Thursday that sunk them to .500 for the first time since April, manager Terry Collins walked into the Citi Field press conference room. He took one question from a reporter and replied with a three-minute, 14-second rant that questioned the Mets’ effort level, finishing with: “And that’s all I have to say. I’m done.”

Many of this year’s Draft class hit the ground running, both at the plate and on the mound. Knowing it’s still a small sample size, here’s a look at five hitters and five pitchers from the early rounds who have made strong transitions to Minor League Baseball.

In the opener of a day-night doubleheader that saw rookie right-hander Jose Berrios struggle and shortstop Eduardo Escobar pitch in the ninth inning, Kennys Vargas made history in the Twins’ 15-6 defeat to the Astros on Thursday, becoming the fourth player in franchise history to homer from both sides of the plate.

Unlike most relievers who become starters, Jeff Samardzija actually began using fewer pitches. For four years, he never threw a curveball in a game until last month. Now that it’s back, it offers him another option as he attempts to reverse his recent slide.