MLB Player News

Vargas is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's tilt against the Pirates.

It's a rare day off for Vargas, who had started every White Sox game since Aug. 13. Colson Montgomery will slide over to third base for the Southsiders while Vargas gets a breather.

Caminero went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored in Tuesday's 7-1 win over Atlanta.

Caminero opened the scoring by crushing AJ Smith-Shawver's first-inning fastball a Statcast-projected 455 feet to left-center field. The blast was his 39th homer of the season, moving him into sole possession of the AL lead, and it was the second-longest home run of his career. Caminero now needs one more long ball to become the first player in Rays history with multiple 40-homer seasons.

Jung (calf) went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI for Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday.

Jung opened a rehab assignment with the Express and played all nine innings as the designated hitter. Rangers manager Skip Schumaker told Kennedi Landry of MLB.com that there's a plan for Jung's rehab but that could change depending on how quickly he responds to activity. With 17 games left in the regular season and Texas 1.5 games back of a wild-card spot, the Rangers might be best served to activate Jung sooner rather than later.

Alexander was removed from Tuesday's game against the Guardians due to back spasms, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Alexander went 1-for-3 with a run scored before his back forced him out of the game in the ninth inning. The team hasn't provided any details regarding the severity of his injury, but if the 27-year-old needs to miss time, Jackson Holliday would be next in line to start at second base.

Freeman isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against Seattle.

Freeman will get a breather after going 0-for-10 over his last four games. Nicky Lopez will fill in at third base and bat ninth.

Muncy isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against Toronto.

Muncy will get a chance to catch his breath after going 7-for-19 with two homers, four RBI and three runs scored over the Athletics' last five games. His absence will allow Tommy White (back) to work as the designated hitter, batting fifth.

White (back) will serve as the Athletics' designated hitter and bat sixth Tuesday against the Blue Jays.

White has sat out each of the Athletics' last six games while dealing with lower-back tightness, and after avoiding the injured list, he's been cleared to return to the starting nine. The 23-year-old had been making decent contact before getting injured, going 10-for-36 (.278) with four RBI and four runs scored over his last 10 games.

Jung (calf) was sent to Triple-A Round Rock on Tuesday to begin a rehab assignment.

Jung hasn't seen the field since July 21 due to a strained left calf, but he's now ready for game action after recently progressing to facing live pitching. It's not clear how many rehab games the 28-year-old will require before being reinstated, but it's possible he's back with the Rangers this weekend in Arizona.

Encarnacion-Strand is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Guardians.

Encarnacion-Strand started the previous five games and will get a breather Tuesday after going 5-for-19 (.263 average) with two doubles, a homer and three RBI during that span. Coby Mayo will replace him in the lineup as the designated hitter while Blaze Alexander shifts to third base.

Okamoto went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks in Monday's 6-5 loss to the Athletics.

Okamoto went deep in the seventh inning as the Blue Jays started their comeback push. The third baseman has gone 7-for-23 (.304) over six games in September. For the season, he's hitting .232 with a .754 OPS, 29 homers, 82 RBI, 74 runs scored, 23 doubles and one stolen base over 139 contests.