Astros designate Nelson Velázquez for assignment

Schanuel made an early exit from Thursday’s thrashing of the Astros due to soreness in his right side. He was unlikely to start on Friday night with left-hander MacKenzie Gore taking the hill for the Rangers, but Schanuel has yet to even attempt to swing to determine whether or not he’ll be available off the bench. He’s considered day-to-day.

Meckler was hit in the helmet by a pitch during Thursday’s game and is still in the concussion protocol. It’s unlikely that he would have started against left-hander MacKenzie Gore on Friday night regardless, but he’ll need to clear the protocol before he’s able to return.

Fernandez will add a fresh arm that’s capable of working multiple innings to the Cardinals’ bullpen while the club figures out how to replace the injured Andre Pallante (elbow) in their starting rotation. The 28-year-old has posted an impressive 2.70 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and a 20/7 K/BB ratio over 13 1/3 innings of work in 11 appearances with the Cardinals this season.

The 27-year-old righty came out of Monday’s start against the Reds feeling a bit of extra soreness in his elbow and further examinations revealed the inflammation. The Cardinals are hopeful that he’ll able to return after missing just a couple of weeks, but with the season winding down he may be a tough hold in redraft leagues.

It’s the second straight game that the 28-year-old shortstop has missed after being struck by a 100-mph sinker from Walbert Ureña on Wednesday. While he has reported improvement and is able to field his position defensively without issue,
Peña isn’t quite comfortable swinging the bat just yet. He could be available off the bench on Friday and is expected to return to the lineup before the weekend is through.

The 23-year-old slugger was removed from Wednesday’s game due to soreness in his ankle and it was bothering him enough that he was held out of Thursday’s contest as well. The day off seems to have done him some good though, as he’s back in there in right field and batting third against Tigers’ right-hander Troy Melton on Friday evening in Kansas City.

The switch-hitting 23-year-old outfielder has been struggling at the plate in recent weeks, hitting just .192/.306/.274 with one homer, 10 RBI and a 23/11 K/BB ratio over 85 plate appearances in his last 20 games, so perhaps giving him a day off to clear his head is a good idea. Tristan Peters will slide over and cover right field while Brenton Doyle draws a start in center and will bat sixth for the White Sox against Mets’ left-hander Sean Manaea.

Nationals’ manager Blake Butera told reporters on Thursday night that X-rays on Abrams’ ankle came back negative for any fractures and that he’s just dealing with a minor left ankle sprain. They’re hopeful that he’ll be able to return to the lineup on Saturday. Nasim Nuñez will once again start in his place at shortstop on Friday night and will bat eighth against Marlins’ right-hander Ryan Gusto.

He’ll take the place of Emmet Sheehan in the Dodgers’ bullpen for the time being. The 26-year-old right-hander has registered a 2.35 ERA and an 8/5 K/BB ratio over 7 2/3 frames with the Dodgers this season. He’ll provide manager Dave Roberts with another weapon to deploy from the right side in the middle innings.

Sheehan had just been recalled from Triple-A on Tuesday to function in a multi-inning relief role, but he did not make an appearance. The expectation is that he’ll stay stretched out as a starter at the Triple-A level until he’s needed once more by the Dodgers. He won’t be able to return for at least 10 days unless he’s replacing someone that’s heading to the injured list. Paul Gervase was recalled in a corresponding move on Friday.