MLB Player News

Triple-A St. Paul placed Fitzgerald on its 7-day injured list Saturday due to a right hamstring strain.

Fitzgerald missed about two weeks of action earlier in June due to a right ankle sprain, and after returning to action June 20, the infielder lasted just five games before going down with another injury to the same leg. The 31-year-old is slashing .287/.378/.473 with six home runs and five stolen bases in 217 plate appearances for St. Paul this season.

Barger went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, four RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 11-9 win over the Yankees.

Barger crushed a three-run homer in the first inning and later added an insurance run with an RBI single in the ninth. The 25-year-old has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, a stretch that includes four extra-base hits, six RBI and eight runs scored. For the season, he's slashing .263/.325/.493 with 10 home runs, 30 RBI, 33 runs scored and two steals across 229 plate appearances.

Schuemann went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to Tampa Bay.

It's the second time this season that Schuemann has recorded three hits in a game, which was highlighted by his solo homer off Ryan Pepiot in the second frame. Schuemann has started in just 11 games since the beginning of June, but he could see some additional playing time in the short term if Luis Urias (hamstring) and Jacob Wilson (hamstring) remain sidelined.

Urias will start at third base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

Urias will cover third base for the fifth consecutive game while Jordan Westburg remains on the bench as he continues to recover from a left index finger sprain. Westburg is hopeful to rejoin the lineup for the Orioles' series in Atlanta this weekend, but Urias could still see steady playing time if Baltimore elects to use Westburg as a designated hitter to aid in his recovery.

The Astros placed Guillorme on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a right hamstring strain, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Guillorme has struggled since joining the big club in mid-June, going just 3-for-20 at the plate across 12 games. He'll now be forced to miss at least the next 10 days while his hamstring heals, and the Astros will bring up Zack Short to fill the open spot in the infield unit.

Westburg (finger) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

Westburg will miss out on a fifth straight start due to a left index finger sprain. The infielder has conceded that his finger is unlikely to heal without extended rest, but his intention is to get the digit feeling well enough to play through a bit of discomfort. He will try to return to the lineup Friday in Atlanta following the Orioles' scheduled off day Thursday. Ramon Urias will receive another start at the hot corner for the Orioles in Wednesday's series finale.

The Rangers optioned Jung to Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday.

Jung slashed just .158/.208/.221 in June to drop his season batting line to .237/.283/.366. The Rangers will let him work on his swing in a less pressurized environment, with the goal of Jung regaining his job as the primary third baseman later this season. Super-utility player Josh Smith as well as Ezequiel Duran are the best bets to receive playing time at third base while Jung is in the minors.

Lewis is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

After a two-plus-week stay on the injured list while recovering from a hamstring injury, Lewis made his return to the Minnesota lineup Tuesday, starting at third base while going 1-for-3 with a double in a 2-0 loss. At least for his first handful of games back from the IL, Lewis will have his workload managed, so he'll be given a breather Wednesday. Lewis' absence opens up a spot in the lineup for Harrison Bader, who will pick up a start in the outfield while utility man Willi Castro shifts back to the infield.

McKinstry will start at third base and bat sixth in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Nationals.

Though the Tigers had shown more of a willingness to use Colt Keith at third base of late, McKinstry could end up seeing the bulk of the playing time at the position for the duration of Detroit's first-half schedule. With Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) landing on the injured list Wednesday and likely to be held out through the All-Star break, the Tigers will have openings for Keith at first base or designated hitter, with Spencer Torkelson likely starting at the other spot. McKinstry should thus have a clear path to steady playing time at third base in the short term, though the utility player had already been included in the Detroit lineup in five of the previous six contests. McKinstry's production had been tailing off in the second half of May, but he sported a hot bat throughout June, finishing the month with a .321/.353/.538 slash line to go with two home runs and seven stolen bases in 24 games.

Ramirez went 0-for-4 in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Cubs.

Ramirez, who missed one game after getting hit on the forearm last Thursday, is hitless in the three games since returning to the lineup. The 0-for-12 stretch is his longest hitless run of the season.