MLB Player News

Helsley walked the first two batters he faced and missed again on his first pitch to Colson Montgomery before Montgomery grounded out on the second pitch. Lenyn Sosa also grounded out afterwards, scoring a run in the process. After the softest of all possible hits from Andrew Benintendi, Edgar Quero came up with two on and two outs. Helsley chose then to make probably his three best pitches of the night and got a game-ending strikeout. He’s 3-for-3 in save chances despite having allowed two runs in 3 1/3 innings.

Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters McCullers has been pitching through the shoulder issue for a few starts but didn’t bounce back as hoped this week following his latest outing. He’ll return to Houston to undergo further evaluation and testing to determine the severity of the issue and his next steps. It certainly sounds like he’s headed to the injured list. It’ll be Jason Alexander taking the ball to open a bullpen game on Tuesday against the Twins.

Langford will need to pass some forearm testing before he’s given clearance to resume hitting later this week. The 24-year-old fantasy standout has been on the shelf recovering from a right forearm strain since April 22. There should be a definitive return timetable once he starts ramping up baseball activities again.

Foscue will get a chance to hit near the top of Texas’ lineup, with Andrew McCutchen leading off and Evan Carter being dropped to ninth in the batting order, against lefty opener Sammy Peralta after homering twice in 10 games since being called back up to the majors on May 5.

Stanton has been given the green light to hit and go through plyometric exercises, but hasn’t received the go-ahead to resume running, which is the biggest hurdle to making it back to New York’s lineup. The 36-year-old slugger is a couple weeks away at this juncture.

Gore told reporters he feels fine but will undergo imaging to rule out anything structural after making a precautionary exit from Monday’s start against the Rockies with left lat tightness. All signs point to Gore making his next start against the Angels on Sunday.

Winn will undergo imaging to determine whether he’s dealing with any structural damage since he’s still dealing with some left knee discomfort that popped up over the weekend. There’s obviously some concern that he’ll require a trip to the injured list. There should be an update on his status in the coming days.

Crawford was in the lineup for Monday’s series opener against Chicago after suffering a triceps contusion when he was hit by a pitch over the weekend. He’ll get some extra rest in this one with Colt Emerson making his first start at shortstop. The big question is what happens to his playing time once Brendan Donovan (groin) is back from the injured list now that Emerson has ascended to the majors. the 31-year-old impending free agent figures to cede some playing time to the top prospect over the final few months of the year.

Rafaela gets the nod in a prominent spot in Boston’s lineup after hitting .320 (16-for-50) with three homers and three steals over his last 15 games. The 25-year-old center fielder sat out Monday’s series opener but he’s back in there to face Royals lefty Bailey Falter on Tuesday night.

Clement is dealing with strep throat, so it’s probably for the best if he practices some social isolation to prevent it from spreading around Toronto’s clubhouse. The 30-year-old infielder is available off the bench, if needed, with Davis Schneider getting into the lineup at second base in his place.

Garcia returns for another stint with Arizona as emergency catching depth with veteran backstop James McCann hitting the injured list with a quad strain. The 33-year-old journeyman got into three games for the Diamondbacks earlier this season while Gabriel Moreno was on the shelf.