MLB Player News

Lewis is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Royals

Lewis started the Twins' previous eight games and will hit the bench after going 5-for-28 with two doubles and four steals during that stretch. Victor Caratini is getting the start at first base Tuesday for Minnesota.

Okamoto is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Nationals.

Okamoto started the previous five games but will hit the bench Sunday after going 4-for-21 (.190) with a double, a homer and nine strikeouts during that span. The Japanese third baseman has a .606 OPS through 21 games in July, which has dropped his season-long slash line down to .224/.304/.441 in 425 plate appearances.

Encarnacion-Strand is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Tigers, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

After making six consecutive starts at third base, Encarnacion-Strand finds himself on the bench Tuesday for a second straight game. The 26-year-old has a 1.155 OPS with three homers in seven games since getting promoted by Baltimore in mid-July, but Coby Mayo will pick up a second straight start the hot corner after homering in Monday's contest.

Gelof (knee) is continuing a running progression and participating in baseball activities, per MLB.com.

Gelof landed on the injured list July 10 due to a right knee laceration and has been progressing in his recovery since having his stitches removed. It remains to be seen whether the 26-year-old will require a rehab assignment, but he's on track to return to action in early August. Before hitting the shelf, Gelof slashed .273/.327/.476 with 11 home runs, 29 RBI, 41 runs and eight stolen bases across 67 contests.

Mead suffered a bruised left wrist during Monday's game against the Athletics, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

Mead was struck by a pitch in just his second at-bat since being traded from the Nationals to the Red Sox, and he was forced to exit Monday's matchup. However, his X-rays returned negative, per Healey, ruling out a serious injury. Mead can be considered day-to-day until the team has more information to share on his availability going forward.

Mead was removed from Monday's game against the Athletics after being hit by a pitch on his left hand, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

Mead was struck by a pitch in just his second at-bat as a member of the Red Sox, and he was removed shortly after. Anthony Seigler was called upon to man second base in Mead's absence. The severity of the injury is unknown at this time.

Mayo went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and an additional run scored during Baltimore's 8-5 win over Detroit on Monday.

Mayo's two-run homer in the fifth inning extended the Orioles' lead to 7-3 and essentially sealed the game for Baltimore. It was his 14th home run of the season and fourth since July 1, and for the month he has gone 9-for-34 (.265) with one steal and seven RBI. He's been losing out on reps at the hot corner to Christian Encarnacion-Strand, but more nights like Monday would afford Mayo more playing time over the last two months of the regular season, especially for as long as Blaze Alexander (hand) is out of action.

Mead will start at second base and bat second in Monday's game versus the Athletics.

Acquired from the Nationals in a trade this past weekend, Mead will immediately be thrown into a favorable spot in the lineup for the Red Sox. The 25-year-old has experienced a breakout season, slashing .256/.351/.505 with 17 home runs across 322 plate appearances.

Garcia (hand) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Tuesday.

Garcia is finally ready to test things out in a game setting after missing more than a month of action with a nagging muscle strain in his left hand. The third baseman shouldn't require too many rehab at-bats before rejoining the Royals' active roster. Nick Loftin has been serving as Kansas City's primary option at the hot corner since Garcia went down.

Barger is expected to be sidelined six months following surgery Monday to repair his right elbow UCL, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The good news is Barger did not require a full Tommy John repair, which means he is expected to be ready in time for the start of spring training as long as his rehab proceeds smoothly. Barger played only nine games for the Blue Jays this season due to injuries.