​Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz officially began a minor league rehab assignment on Saturday night, delivering a scoreless inning for Class-A Ontario in which he struck out two and allowed one hit. Díaz needed just 11 pitches, eight of them for strikes, in his first game action in 83 days as he works his way back from arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow. He is expected to return sometime after the All-Star break. After the outing, Díaz told reporters in Ontario that he might need three more rehab games before he’s ready for his return.
Tyler Gough also appeared for Great Lakes, walking four batters but punching out five over three scoreless innings. The 22-year-old right-hander, acquired from the Mariners for left-hander Robinson Ortiz on November 16, has logged 13 scoreless innings since joining Great Lakes. After missing nearly two months on the injured list, Gough has posted a 0.81 ERA across eight starts and 33 1/3 innings for Ontario and Great Lakes combined, with 39 strikeouts and 13 walks.
Rain washed out Oklahoma City’s Saturday matchup with the El Paso Chihuahuas, a game that served as a blessing for the Comets. Oklahoma City had Landon Knack lined up as the scheduled starter, but he was needed to eat innings on Saturday after the Dodgers used a bullpen game Friday. To create space on the 40-man roster with Knack returning from the 60-day injured list, Charlie Barnes, who was slated to start Sunday for the Comets, was designated for assignment. The two teams will make up Saturday’s rainout on August 26, meaning they’ll only need to cover nine innings this weekend instead of 18.
Peter Heubeck endured seven runs in the Drillers’ blowout loss to the Springfield Cardinals, a game shortened by rain to six innings. Taylor Young contributed a two-run double in the defeat. Josue De Paula and Mike Sirota left the Drillers to travel to Philadelphia for Sunday’s Futures Game. Kole Myers had two singles and two RBIs while playing left field on Saturday, with Kendall George in center and Zyhir Hope in right.
Charles Davalan delivered a game-winning eighth-inning homer to lift the Loons past the Dayton Dragons 3-2. His two-run shot erased a 2-1 deficit and capped a sixth-inning comeback after the Loons had fallen behind. Landyn Vidourek, the Tower Buzzers’ left fielder, drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in the winning run in the eighth against the Inland Empire 66ers. Ontario also drew four walks in that same inning—two by Caleb Franzen and two by Jean Muñoz.
Corner man Easton Shelton continued his power surge at first base, homering again on Saturday. His 25th homer leads the California League by a comfortable margin, with his teammate Ching-Hsien Ko ranking second in the league in home runs.
Triple-A: Reliever Kyle Hurt continues to be a focal point as teams refine their rosters and depth, with ongoing adjustments and player performances shaping the upcoming schedule and potential call-ups.