MLB Player News

Emerson (back) will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Thursday's contest in Baltimore.

Emerson was held out of the Mariners' lineup for each of the previous three contests as be battled back spasms, but he's feeling well enough to give it a go in Thursday's series finale. The rookie infielder is sporting an elevated 30.4 percent strikeout rate in his first 19 major-league games but has gone deep four times.

The Astros optioned Whitcomb to Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Whitcomb homered in Wednesday's extra-innings loss to the Angels but finds himself back in the minors a day later. The Astros are off Thursday, so they will likely announce a corresponding roster move prior to Friday's game in Kansas City.

Garcia is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Rangers.

Garcia returned from a hamstring injury to start each of the previous four contests, but he'll grab a seat during Thursday's matinee. Nick Loftin will cover third base for the Royals.

Whitcomb went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Angels.

Whitcomb got the start at shortstop to give Jeremy Pena a rest day. Whitcomb had the Astros' lone hit against Angels starter Reid Detmers, a solo shot in the sixth inning. For the season, Whitcomb is batting just .130 with a .558 OPS, two homers, five RBI, two runs scored and a 1:11 BB:K over 24 plate appearances. He is expected to fill a utility role off the bench while up with the big club.

Lewis went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Tigers.

Lewis hit the second-longest home run (444 feet) of his career to left-center field in the second inning off of Framber Valdez. The 27-year-old Lewis has gone 4-for-15 with a home run and a double since returning to the big leagues after a brief stay with Triple-A St. Paul. The former top prospect slashed just .163/.261/.279 across his first 31 games of the year to earn the demotion, but he had a 1.303 OPS in 15 contests at Triple-A to secure a spot back on the MLB roster.

Muncy isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Brewers.

Muncy has gone 1-for-8 with a walk, two RBI and a run scored in two games since returning from the injured list. He'll move to the bench to begin Wednesday's series finale, allowing Alika Williams to start at shortstop while batting ninth.

Guzman isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Astros, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Guzman will retreat to the bench for Wednesday's series finale after going 0-for-10 with an RBI and two strikeouts through the first two games. Nick Madrigal will start at third base and bat sixth while Guzman sits.

Durbin went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs in Wednesday's 7-5 loss to the Rays.

After Drew Rasmussen had blanked Boston for seven innings, Durbin sparked his team's offense to life with a long ball off Cole Sulser to lead off the eighth, following it up with another solo shot off Garrett Cleavinger in the ninth. Durbin came into the game with just one homer on the year, but over the last 12 games he's batting .341 (15-for-44) with five doubles, a triple and Wednesday's pair of home runs, along with one steal, six runs and nine RBI.

The Mariners activated Mastrobuoni (calf) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Mastrobuoni is finally ready for his season debut with the big club after recovering from a right calf strain he suffered while playing for Team Italy during the World Baseball Classic. He's starting at second base and batting eighth for the Mariners in Baltimore on Wednesday.

Alexander will start at third base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

Since going hitless in six at-bats during a doubleheader with the Tigers on May 24, Alexander has caught fire at the plate, slashing .444/.500/.722 with two home runs, one stolen base, 12 RBI and seven runs over a stretch of 12 contests. Alexander doesn't have a regular home at any one position, but his ability to play all over the infield and outfield should afford him fairly stable playing time so long as he's wielding a hot bat. He'll be making his fourth start in five games Wednesday, this time filling in at the hot corner for a resting Coby Mayo.