MLB Player News

Vargas throws extremely hard, but has yet to carve out a permanent role at the highest level yet. The 24-year-old flamethrower made five relief appearances last season for the Diamondbacks before being shipped to the Mariners last November as part of the Eugenio Suárez deal. He still has minor league options left, so he’s headed to Triple-A Tacoma to open the year.

Franco Aleman got him in the upper back with a 95-mph fastball. Culpepper wanted to continue, but he couldn’t make it happen. Ryan Kreidler ran for him and remained in the game at shortstop.

Elder is walking without a limp, and it sounds like there are plans in place to allow him to do some throwing as he continues to recover. He’s not expected to return to pitch in any regular season games.

Springer was DHing, so he’s still in the game for now. However, we’d be pleasantly surprised if he’s allowed to hit again today. Springer beat out an infield single on the play that ended the sixth, but Andrés Giménez was thrown out after rounding third base and Springer then gingerly exited the field and went to the clubhouse. Springer was in the lineup for a second straight day today after sitting out Tuesday and Wednesday. The Jays haven’t been forthcoming on what exactly is bothering the veteran, but it looked like a left leg issue today.

The timing here is a bit of a stunner, but the Rangers apparently will use Eovaldi out of the pen for now. Perhaps they’ll aim to get him back in the rotation during the final 7-10 days if they’re still in the race. Eovaldi had been out since Aug. 10 with elbow inflammation. He’s returning without a rehab assignment.

Jung, who had been out since July with a calf strain, went 3-for-15 with a homer in four rehab games. He might not be ready to play regularly at third base, so those in mixed leagues might want to hold off on activating him or picking him up. Cody Freeman should lose playing time with Jung back.

Macko, acquired from the Blue Jays last month, gave up six earned runs over 6 2/3 innings in his seven relief appearances during his first stint in the majors with the Rangers.

O’Hoppe went 6-for-17 in his 10 appearances with the Rangers. Just one of those came as a catcher; he filled in there for one inning in last night’s loss to the Diamondbacks. It seems quite likely that he’ll be released or non-tendered this winter.

Luzardo, scratched from Saturday’s outing because of stiffness, appears likely to face the Mets next week. He said he would have pitched against the Braves today if it was up to him, but that it “probably wouldn’t have been the smartest decision.”

Alvarez is absent for a second straight game today after hurting his right ankle Thursday. The Astros have Yainer Diaz serving as a DH against the Rays.

Lindor’s eighth career slam put the Mets on top 11-2 in the eighth. Long before that, he led off the top of the first with a homer off Gerrit Cole. The two homers upped his season total to 20, a mark he’s now reached nine times. He’s one homer away from 300 for his career.