MLB Player News

Ibanez cleared waivers Friday and was sent outright to Triple-A Syracuse, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Ibanez was jettisoned off the 40-man roster to make room for top prospect A.J. Ewing, but the former will stay put with the Mets after clearing waivers and work as organizational depth. The 33-year-old went 0-for-6 during his time with the Mets and owns just a .202 OPS in the majors this season.

Mayer went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run during the Red Sox's 3-2 extra-inning loss to Atlanta on Friday.

Friday's contest was a low-scoring affair, and Meyer ended up tying things at 2-2 in the seventh inning with a solo homer. It was his second home run of the season and first since April 3. Meyer has struggled at the plate as of late, but perhaps Friday's performance was a sign of things to come for the 23-year-old second baseman.

Norby went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during the Marlins' 7-2 loss to the Rays on Friday.

Norby got the Marlins on the board early with a solo homer off Ian Seymour in the second inning. It was Norby's first home run since April 24 and his fourth of the season. He is slashing .234/.336/.391 with five steals, 13 RBI and 12 runs scored across 149 plate appearances this season.

Westburg (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Andrew Golden of TheBanner.com reports.

Westburg's procedure will keep him out for the remainder of the 2026 campaign, but general manager Mike Elias said Friday that the 27-year-old infielder has a good chance to return to playing in the field full time by early 2027. Until then, Coby Mayo will likely take over as Baltimore's primary third baseman, though Jeremiah Jackson, Blaze Alexander and Weston Wilson are also candidates to make starts at the hot corner.

Altuve is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Rangers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

With Altuve getting a breather against right-hander Jack Leiter, Brice Matthews will lead off and play second base for Houston. Altuve hasn't homered since April 17 and doesn't have an extra-base hit over his last six games. On the season, the 36-year-old is slashing .245/.328/.365 with three home runs, 11 RBI, 26 runs scored, one stolen base and a 19:34 BB:K across 181 trips to the dish.

Manager A.J. Hinch said Friday that Torres (oblique) is "trending toward" beginning a rehab assignment, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Torres is eligible to be reinstated from the 10-day injured list as of Friday, but it sounds like he's going to go out on a short rehab stint prior to rejoining the Detroit lineup. Torres has slashed .259/.389/.328 with two home runs, 11 RBI, 18 runs scored and a 25:22 BB:K across 144 plate appearances this season. Hao-Yu Lee is manning second base for the Tigers on Friday.

Gonzales is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Phillies.

After starting 21 games in a 22-game stretch, Gonzales has now been on the bench for two straight for the first time since mid-April. It will be Jared Triolo handling the hot corner again for the Pirates.

Nunez is not in the lineup for Friday's contest against the Orioles.

It looks to be a routine day off for Nunez, who had started each of the previous 11 games. The Nationals will roll out Jorbit Vivas at second base in Friday's series opener.

Westburg will undergo season-ending elbow surgery, Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com reports.

Westburg suffered a partially torn UCL in his right elbow during spring training and had been attempting to rehab the injury without surgery. He began a throwing program in April but was shut down earlier this month. The 27-year-old will now miss the entirety of the 2026 campaign, leaving Coby Mayo, Jeremiah Jackson, Blaze Alexander and Weston Wilson as candidates for playing time at third base the remainder of the season. Baltimore will hope to get Jackson Holliday (hand) back at some point in the relatively near future, and he's been getting reps at third base as well during his latest rehab assignment, perhaps signaling he'll be an option at the hot corner for the big-league club.

Gelof went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 5-4 loss to St. Louis.

Gelof got a center-cut fastball from Ryne Stanek in the seventh inning and sent it over the left-center field wall for his second long ball in as many games. It has been a scorching start to May for Gelof, who is slashing .308/.372/.692 with four homers, nine RBI and eight runs across 11 games this month. The 26-year-old is valued for his ability to play multiple positions around the diamond, but with Max Muncy (hand) sidelined, Gelof has seized regular playing time at third base.