MLB Player News

Smith is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Yankees.

For just the second time this season, the left-handed-hitting Smith is on the bench while the Rangers go up against a righty starter. Per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, Smith -- who is slashing only .193/.306/.217 this season -- will get a "couple days off" to regroup, manager Skip Schumaker said. Ezequiel Duran will cover second base and bat ninth against Yankees right-hander Elmer Rodriguez, who is making his major-league debut.

Rivas is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Twins.

Will Wilson will receive the nod at third base in place of Rivas in the series finale. Rivas had started in nine of Seattle's last 10 games, batting just .129 with zero home runs or steals, four RBI and one run during that stretch. Even while he continues to see steady playing time in the absence of Brendan Donovan (groin), Rivas will hold limited fantasy appeal.

Martinez will start in left field and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Rays, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Martinez appeared to be moving into more of a part-time role following a week-long stretch from April 15 through 22 in which he went just 3-for-19 at the dish, but he's since settled back in as an everyday player for the Guardians. The switch-hitting outfielder will stick in the lineup for a sixth straight contest after producing two home runs and two doubles and chipping in a stolen base over his previous five starts.

Montgomery went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Angels.

Groundout machine Jose Soriano had allowed just one home run all season coming into Tuesday's contest, but Montgomery took him deep on a knuckle curve to lead off the bottom of the second inning. It snapped a five-game homerless drought for Montgomery, who had hit a big fly in each of the four contests prior to his recent mini outage. The lefty-hitting infielder is now slashing .236/.341/.509 with eight homers, 20 RBI, 13 runs scored, one stolen base and a 10:37 BB:K across 123 trips to the plate.

Matthews went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Orioles.

Getting another start in center field and batting ninth, Matthews launched a solo homer off Shane Baz in the fifth inning to get Houston on the board, and give the converted second baseman his second long ball of 2026. The performance snapped an 0-for-10 skid for the 24-year-old, but since becoming a regular member of an injury-thinned outfield back on April 20, Matthews is batting .300 (6-for-20) with three doubles, a homer, a steal, three runs and four RBI.

Witt went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run and a stolen base in a 4-1 extra-inning win over the Athletics on Tuesday.

Witt was 0-for-4 when he came up to the plate with a pair of runners on base in the top of the 10th frame, and he cleared the bases with a three-run blast to right-center field. The long ball was his second in his past two games after he began the campaign going homerless over his first 27 contests. The power had been the primary thing preventing Witt from meeting fantasy managers' expectations, as he's slashing .289/.362/.439 with 10 stolen bases and 15 RBI through 29 games. If he indeed has his power stroke back, Witt could very well end up a top-10 fantasy asset by the end of the campaign.

Lux (shoulder/ankle) went 1-for-3 with two walks and a run scored Tuesday in a rehab game for Triple-A Durham.

Lux has hit safely in each of his last three outings since resuming his rehab assignment following a brief setback. The infielder, who's recovering from a right should impingement, sprained his left ankle April 11 with Durham, but he should be able to make his season debut with the Rays at some point in early May if all goes smoothly. Through 40 minor-league at bats, Lux is hitting just .150 with three doubles, 11 walks and five RBI.

The Yankees are promoting Lombard from Double-A Somerset to Triple-A Scranton/Wilke-Barre, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Lombard got off to a blazing beginning at the plate with Somerset, slashing .324/.414/.595 with four home runs, eight doubles, 18 runs, 10 RBI and four stolen bases over 19 contests. Yankees GM Brian Cashman said during the winter that Lombard is already MLB-ready in terms of his defense, and the 2023 first-round draft pick is now one step away from reaching the majors despite not yet turning 21 years of age. Lombard could get his first taste of big-league ball at some point this season if he continues to perform well at Triple-A.

Perez went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Atlanta.

Perez entered the game as a defensive replacement due to Javier Baez departing with an ankle injury, and the former got Detroit on the board with his home run in the top of the ninth inning. The 26-year-old outfielder has gone deep twice in 15 games since getting recalled from Triple-A Toledo, but he's done very little else offensively. Perez is slashing just .116/.156/.412, which limits his fantasy appeal, though he could see more starts in the short term if Baez has to miss time.

Baez was removed from Tuesday's game against Atlanta with an apparent right ankle injury, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Baez made an awkward slide into first base during the fifth inning of Tuesday's contest and had to leave the game in a cart. The Tigers will presumably send him in for imaging to determine the severity of his injury, at which point more will be known regarding his short-term availability. Any missed starts for Baez would likely lead to increased playing time in the outfield for Wenceel Perez and also make it easier for Gleyber Torres, Colt Keith and Kevin McGonigle to make regular starts in the infield.