MLB Player News

Casas is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Tigers, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Southpaw Joey Wentz is starting Saturday for Detroit, so Casas will head to the bench for just the second time this season. Justin Turner will shift to first base with Masataka Yoshida serving as the designated hitter and Rob Refsnyder in left field.

Noda went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in a loss to the Rays on Friday.

Noda filled in at designated hitter for the first time while moving up to the No. 2 spot in the order, and he responded with a 401-foot shot to right-center in the third inning that gave the Athletics their second run. The slugging rookie has left the yard in consecutive games, already demonstrating a penchant for hard contact that was evident throughout his minor-league career.

Pasquantino went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 3-1 win over the Giants.

Pasquantino put the Royals ahead for good when he took Giants starter Alex Cobb deep in the fourth inning. The Royals' offense has been anything but consistent so far, and Pasquantino has struggled, hitting .208 (5-for-24) with three RBI and two runs scored, though he also has a 5:4 BB:K. While it's not an ideal start to the campaign, no one else has stepped up to challenge the young first baseman for playing time yet, so he should continue to play regularly.

Mountcastle went 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 7-6 win over the Yankees.

Mountcastle's RBI came on a sacrifice fly in the third inning, while the steal was his first of the season. The Orioles have been among the most aggressive teams on the basepaths, but the first baseman shouldn't be expected to contribute regularly in steals as he's never swiped more than four bags in a season. He's gone 8-for-29 (.276) with two home runs, seven RBI, five runs scored and three doubles across seven contests.

Kirilloff (wrist) is continuing to play in extended spring training games but the Twins aren't ready to set a start date for his rehab assignment, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The team continues to bring Kirilloff along slowly following surgery last August to shorten the ulnar bone in his right wrist and clean up scar tissue. He could still conceivably make it back before the end of the month, but we'll need to see him in official rehab games before long for that to happen.

Raley isn't in the Rays' lineup for Friday's game against the Athletics, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

After going deep three times in two games, Raley will now miss his second straight game with lefty Ken Waldichuk starting the game for Oakland. Harold Ramirez will serve as Tampa Bay's designated hitter instead, batting fifth.

Pratto was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Friday.

Two days after being called up to take the place of Kyle Isbel, Pratto will now return to the minors as Isbel returns from the paternity list. While in the majors, Pratto recorded just one hit in seven chances at the plate, but historically he has performed much better in Triple-A.

Guerrero went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Thursday's win over the Royals.

The first baseman has been locked in to begin the season. Guerrero's .407 batting average (11-for-27) through seven games is impressive and comes with two homers, a steal, five runs and six RBI, but he also boasts an eye-popping 5:1 BB:K. With hits in five straight games and homers in two straight, the 24-year-old seems poised to put together a massive month of April.

France went 1-for-3 with an RBI double, a walk and a run in a loss to the Angels on Wednesday.

France's seventh-inning two-bagger plated Sam Haggerty to put the Mariners within two runs of the Angels at the time. The 28-year-old first baseman has opened the season in a manner reminiscent of last year's stellar first half, as he's reached safely in six of his first seven games on his way to a .357 average and .419 on-base percentage (31 plate appearances).

Noda went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in an extra-inning loss to the Guardians on Wednesday.

The rookie had clocked his first career extra-base hit Monday in the form of a double, and Noda followed it up Wednesday with 385-foot shot to right center in the eighth inning that put the Athletics on the board. The Rule 5 draft selection has validated Oakland's decision to hang onto him after Cactus League play, reaching safely in each of his first three starts.