Nicky

Lopez

Burger has been in there at first base for every other game this week, so it looks like they’re just trying to give him a breather. Joc Pederson will cover first base while Corey Seager functions as the team’s designated hitter, with Nicky Lopez starting at shortstop and batting seventh for the Rangers against Angels’ right-hander Walbert Urena.

Lopez will get a breather after starting every other game for the Rangers during the week. Cam Cauley will start in his place at second base and will bat ninth for the Rangers against Astros’ right-hander Peter Lambert on Sunday.

Jung was replaced by Nicky Lopez at the hot corner shortly after coming around to score following a third-inning single. He finished 1-for-2 at the plate. There should be an update on his status shortly.

The Rangers lost this one by a score of 15-1 and were held to just five hits on the night. Lopez’s RBI single to drive home Cam Cauley in the eighth inning was all the Rangers could muster on the evening as Chris Sale was masterful through seven innings of shutout ball.

Nicky Lopez is at second base to face Guardians righty Tanner Bibee. Cauley went 1-for-3 with a triple and a pair of runs scored in his major-league debut on Monday night in Cleveland. The versatile 23-year-old figures to play regularly against left-handed starters and possesses an interesting mix of fantasy-relevant tools, most notably elite speed on the bases. He’s a name to watch in deeper mixed leagues in case he’s able to carve out a semi-regular role with the Rangers in the coming weeks.

Seager took batting practice on Tuesday but was unable to clear concussion protocols in time for the day game on Wednesday. There remains a strong chance that he will play on Thursday in the first game against the Blue Jays. Ezequiel Duran will start at shortstop on Wednesday with Nicky Lopez at second base.

Seager receives some extra time off after a home-plate collision during Thursday’s game against Kansas City left him with rib and jaw soreness. He had been heating up, hitting safely in four of his last five games with two homers since returning from a back issue that sidelined him for a couple of weeks last month. It’ll be defensive specialist Nicky Lopez drawing another start at shortstop in his absence.

Duran was replaced by Nicky Lopez at shortstop with Justin Foscue taking over at second base after going 0-for-2 at the dish. It doesn’t sound like a serious concern heading into Thursday’s series finale.

Lopez makes sense as a versatile reserve infielder for the Rangers, who are currently without starting shortstop Corey Seager in addition to utility specialist Josh Smith. The 31-year-old defensive wizard got into four games for the Cubs over a one-month span earlier this season. He can be safely ignored for fantasy purposes.

Lopez will presumably stick around with the Cubs as organizational depth after being removed from the club’s active roster last weekend. The 31-year-old defensive wizard makes sense as an emergency stopgap but he doesn’t offer enough offensive impact to be anything close to an everyday option at this stage of his career.