MLB Player News

Jung is batting seventh and starting at third base Tuesday against the Cardinals.

The Rangers are facing righty Lance Lynn, and perhaps Jung will bat higher in the order against lefties if he shows he's knocked all the rust off. Jung, who last played in the majors April 1 before needing surgery on a broken right wrist, slashed .296/.345/.333 with one double, nine strikeouts and zero walks in 27 at-bats during his rehab assignment. He was also hit by two pitches. Josh Smith, who played well in Jung's absence, is leading off as the designated hitter.

Rojas is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Red Sox.

Rojas will dodge a matchup with southpaw James Paxton on Tuesday. In his place, Dylan Moore will bat sixth and play third base.

Miranda (head) is batting cleanup and playing third base against the Mets on Tuesday.

Miranda was hit by a pitch in the head Sunday against Detroit, but after clearing concussion protocols and resting Monday, the 26-year-old is back in the Twins' starting nine. Miranda is amid a breakout year, logging a .884 OPS and a 13.5 percent strikeout rate.

Rojas went 2-for-3 with a walk in a loss to the Red Sox on Monday.

Rojas served up his first multi-hit effort since July 2 while also drawing his fourth walk in the last three games. The 30-year-old remains locked into a near-everyday role, and he's in the midst of a brief but promising upswing that's seen him produce a .286 average and .474 on-base percentage over his last five games.

Smith hit leadoff and started at third base in Monday's 6-3 win over St. Louis, going 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Smith was in the field at third base even though Josh Jung was activated off the 60-day injured list Monday. While that was surprising, so was Smith's slotting in the leadoff spot while Marcus Semien was dropped to third in the order. Texas manager Bruce Bochy told Kennedi Landry of MLB.com that the tweaked batting order was in relation to Jung's return. It's unclear if more tweaks are expected once Jung is in the starting lineup, or if the changes will be reflected against both right-handed and left-handed starters.

Garcia went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and two runs scored in Monday's 8-5 win over the White Sox.

Since Garcia was dropped from the leadoff spot July 7, he's batting .327 (16-for-49) with three extra-base hits and three steals over 15 contests. He's hit atop the order twice in that span, but has most often batted eighth and occasionally seventh. It appears he's doing more with less, and his speed makes him an interesting fantasy option even without the leadoff gig. Garcia has a career-high 24 steals to go with six home runs, 45 RBI, 64 runs scored, 18 doubles, five triples and a .238/.287/.350 slash line over 104 contests this season.

Barger went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader against Baltimore.

Barger didn't start either contest and didn't play at all in Game 2, but he enjoyed an MLB milestone n the matinee with a three-run homer -- his first career long ball -- in the fifth inning. The outfielder entered that contest in the second frame as a result of Justin Turner being pulled after he was dealt to the Mariners in a trade. Barger has played sporadically while with the big-league club, and that doesn't figure to change much in spite of Toronto's roster shakeup given his .174/.197/.261 slash line on the season.

Westburg went 5-for-8 with a home run, three doubles, four RBI, three runs and a walk against Baltimore across both games of Monday's doubleheader.

Westburg racked up three doubles in the first game and added a two-run homer int he nightcap, and he accumulated 11 total bases over both contests. The shortstop had been pretty cold coming into the twin bill, batting .167 (4-for-24) over his previous six games. On the season, Westburg is slashing .273/.320/.505 with 18 homers, 25 doubles, five triples, 58 RBI, 54 runs and six stolen bases over 99 contests.

Ramirez went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in Monday's 8-4 win over the Tigers.

Ramirez got extra-base hits in his first three at-bats Monday, his first homer traveling 451 feet, which is the longest of his career. Ramirez now has 26 home runs this season and 242 for his career, tied with Albert Belle for second in franchise history behind Jim Thome. It was Ramirez's 25th career multi-HR game, one behind the franchise record shared by Belle and Thome. Ramirez is in the midst of another stellar season hitting .276/.330/.527 with 26 homers, 85 RBI and 20 stolen bases through 103 games.

Miranda (head) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.

Miranda was cleared of a concussion after being hit in the helmet by a pitch in the first inning of Sunday's 5-0 win over the Tigers, but he'll be given at least one day off to recover from a head contusion. Manuel Margot will get a turn as the Twins' designated hitter while Miranda rests up.