MLB Player News

Speas ships up to Boston after being designated for assignment last weekend by Houston. The hard-throwing has big-time velocity, but has also struggled to command his impressive stuff, walking over a batter per-inning this season at the Triple-A level. If he ever scales back the free passes, he could morph into a pretty stellar reliever at the highest level. At 26 years old, it’s easy to see why teams continue to roll the dice.

Davila will rejoin the Mariners to add a fresh arm to the bullpen while the club figures out how to adjust their rotation with Emerson Hancock (adductor) heading to the injured list. The 27-year-old right-hander has posted a 4.10 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and a 13/11 K/BB ratio in his 26 1/3 innings with the M’s this season.

It’s the second time this week that the 23-year-old slugger has been held out of the Cardinals’ lineup. While he has shown his prodigious power with five home runs in his first 53 at-bats, he has done so while slashing a troublesome .170/.224/.491 with a 22/3 K/BB ratio over 58 plate appearances. Bryan Torres will start in his place in left field and will bat leadoff for the Cardinals against Pirates’ right-hander Braxton Ashcraft.

Song was just optioned out on Monday, but with Luis Rengifo (knee) landing on the injured list on Sunday, he’ll rejoin the Padres before the mandatory 10 days are through. The 30-year-old has hit just .202/.305/.263 with one homer and 12 stolen bases in 134 plate appearances with the Padres this season.

Rengifo suffered the injury on Saturday as his knee buckled while making a throw from the outfield. While no clear timeline has been given for his return, it’s possible that he’ll miss the remainder of the season. Sung-Mun Song was recalled from Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move on Sunday.

The Padres get Taylor back as they lose Gavin Sheets (foot) to the injured list on Sunday. He had been shelved since early July due to a right oblique strain. The 28-year-old has done a terrific job for the Padres this season, slashing .330/.410/.398 with one homer, 11 RBI and six stolen bases in 102 plate appearances over 26 games.

Sheets suffered the injury while running the bases during Saturday’s game. No word yet on how long he’ll be sidelined for. Samad Taylor was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move to take his place on the Padres’ active roster.

With Byron Buxton (hip) landing on the injured list on Sunday, Gonzalez will return to provide extra outfield depth for the Twins. The 22-year-old has hit .254/.318/.423 with 15 homers and 51 RBI in 444 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this season.

The Twins took it on a day-to-day basis with Buxton, but ultimately, it made the most sense to sit him down. The expectation is that he’ll require surgery in the offseason to correct the issue. Look for Walker Jenkins to handle the bulk of the action in center field while Buxton is shelved.

The 27-year-old infielder has been struggling a bit at the plate recently, hitting .243/.347/.313 with zero homers, eight RBI and a 14/9 K/BB ratio over 95 plate appearances in the month of August. Nick Yorke will start at third base for the Pirates on Sunday and will bat ninth against Cardinals’ southpaw Matthew Liberatore.

Contreras has shouldered a heavy load behind the dish for the Brewers this season, so they’ll get him off of his feet for a day on Sunday. Gary Sanchez will do the catching for the Brewers and will bat sixth against Rangers’ righty Kumar Rocker.