MLB Player News

Mayer had three hard-hit balls tonight and raised his average from .224 to .243. His rough start has led to criticism of Boston’s decision to commit to him at second and some calls to maybe move Ceddanne Rafaela back to the infield, but Mayer has played terrific defense and struck out just 16 percent of the time while showing well above average bat speed. As a platoon guy, he might not be fantasy relevant at any point this year, but he’s going to wind up being a more-than-adequate starter for Boston.

Baty receives his first day off since May 10. Bo Bichette takes over at third base with Vidal Bruján getting a rare opportunity at shortstop.

Helsley appears to be getting close to heading out on a minor league rehab assignment, but he still hasn’t progressed to facing hitters in a live batting practice session. The hard-throwing 31-year-old stopper has been on the shelf with elbow inflammation since late April. There’s no real urgency to rush him back since unheralded Rico Garcia has done a phenomenal job as Baltimore’s primary ninth-inning option during his absence.

Astros skipper Joe Espada told reporters Javier came out of Friday’s live batting practice session fine from a physical standpoint and will face minor league hitters his next time out. The 29-year-old will likely need a couple outings to build up his stamina and pitch count before returning to Houston’s rotation sometime in June.

It looks like Altuve may be able to jump back into Houston’s lineup without requiring any minor league game action to get back up to speed. How quickly that occurs remains a bit up in the air since he’ll need to face live pitching in a batting practice session prior to being activated. However, it doesn’t sound like he’s too far away. The 36-year-old has made a lightning-quick recovery from an oblique strain that put him on the injured list back in mid-May.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro is shaking things up by moving Carter to the leadoff spot for the second time this season to face Rangers righty Kumar Rocker. Maikel Garcia has been moved to third in the order with Vinnie Pasquantino hitting cleanup. The 22-year-old rookie backstop has been mired in an extended tailspin at the plate, hitting .198 (19-for-96) with one homer, 11 RBI and 32 strikeouts over his last 30 games.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker delivered a positive update on Seager’s health following the session, which bodes well for his chances of heading out on a minor league rehab assignment at some point in early June. The 32-year-old shortstop has been on the shelf recovering from back inflammation since May 18.

Lee takes a seat with Orlando Arcia getting a shot at third base for the first time since being called up earlier this month. The 25-year-old infielder has cooled off a bit in the last few games after an impressive five-game stretch earlier this week where he batted .350 (7-for-20) with one homer and six RBI. He appears to be Minnesota’s preferred option at the hot corner until further notice with top prospect Kaelen Culpepper seemingly earmarked for shortstop once he arrives this summer.

Sogard is at second base and hitting fifth after coming off the bench during Friday’s series opener in Cleveland. The versatile 28-year-old has been playing through a lingering side issue recently. He’s hit a respectable .273/.368/.394 with two RBI in 11 games since coming up from Triple-A Worcester earlier this month.

It makes sense that Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy is giving Kiner-Falefa some additional run since he’s hitting an absurd .414 (12-for-29) with one homer, seven RBI and one steal over his last 15 games. Marcelo Mayer heads to the bench on Saturday afternoon in Cleveland after starting four of the previous five games at shortstop for Boston.

Juenger earns his first promotion to the majors after posting a serviceable 3.15 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 23/8 K/BB ratio across 20 innings for Triple-A Buffalo this season. He also has three saves during that span. The 25-year-old joins Toronto’s bullpen ahead of Saturday’s contest against the division-rival Orioles and figures to operate in low-leverage spots initially.