MLB Player News

The Blue Jays recalled Barger from Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday. He'll start in left field and bat eighth against the Royals.

Barger will be making his MLB debut Wednesday after he was added to the 26-man active roster following Kevin Kiermaier's (hip) placement on the 10-day injured list. Though Kiermaier's absence creates an opening in the everyday lineup, Barger is more likely to fill a utility role for the Blue Jays rather than serving as a direct replacement for the veteran center fielder. Davis Schneider is a likelier candidate to take on more responsibilities in the outfield than Barger, who was promoted after slashing .314/.435/.586 with three home runs and 21 RBI through 19 games with Buffalo.

Hamilton is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Hamilton will take a seat for the fifth straight contest and looks as though he won't be in store for a regular role at shortstop in the wake of Trevor Story's season-ending shoulder injury. Instead, the Red Sox have moved Ceddanne Rafaela from the outfield to shortstop, opening up a regular spot in the corner outfield for Wilyer Abreu.

Barger is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Buffalo prior to Wednesday's game in Kansas City, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Kevin Kiermaier exited Tuesday's game with hip flexor discomfort and could be headed to the injured list to open up room on the 26-man active roster for Barger. The 24-year-old has slashed .314/.435/.586 with three home runs and a 15:14 K:BB over 19 games with Buffalo this season. He's played right field and third base for Buffalo this season and would be making his major-league debut when/if he gets into a game.

Holliday is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels.

The lefty-hitting Holliday will take a seat for the second time in three days while the Angels bring another southpaw (Tyler Anderson) to the hill for the series finale. Jorge Mateo will check in at second base in place of Holliday, who is off to a 2-for-34 start to his big-league career since receiving a promotion from Triple-A Norfolk on April 10.

Kim went 2-for-4 with a run and a stolen base Tuesday in a loss to the Rockies.

Kim is up to seven thefts on the campaign, tied for seventh in MLB. He's still batting a modest .228 on the season but has perked up over his past 12 games, slashing .268/.412/.488 with two homers, six RBI, nine runs, four steals and a 10:5 BB:K over that stretch.

Rojas went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base against the Nationals in Tuesday's 4-1 victory.

Rojas got the start at shortstop while Mookie Betts shifted to second base with southpaw Patrick Corbin starting for Washington. That has been the usual lineup arrangement versus lefties in what has developed into a platoon situation, with Gavin Lux starting at second and Betts playing shortstop versus right-handed starters. Rojas has performed well when given the opportunity, slashing .281/.324/.500 with two homers, five RBI, four runs and a stolen base over 34 plate appearances. Meanwhile, Lux has struggled mightily with a .148/.224/.164 slash line, though the Dodgers seem set on sticking with him for the time being.

The Tigers announced Tuesday that Leonard (oblique) will be re-evaluated next week and could begin a baseball progression program, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Leonard, who is a member of the Tigers' 40-man roster, was placed on Triple-A Toledo's 7-day injured list on April 9 after straining his left oblique. He's been able to complete daily rehab since being shut down with the injury, but Leonard has yet to get back on the field for hitting, fielding or running.

Alexander (hamstring) will start at shortstop and bat second in Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.

Alexander didn't play in either of Arizona's last two contests after leaving Sunday's 5-3 win over the Giants with right hamstring cramping, but he'll be back in action for the series finale in St. Louis. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo will tinker with his lineup and move Alexander up to the two hole after the rookie had batted no higher than sixth in any of his previous 13 starts.

Henderson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Angels.

Henderson plated his first run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly and later sent one out to right field in the seventh to bring the Orioles within three runs. He's been seeing the ball extremely well over the first month and is slashing .405/.452/.811 with four homers, eight RBI and eight runs over his last nine games. He's now in a four-way tie for third in baseball with seven home runs in the early going.

Neto went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Orioles.

Neto now has two hits in back-to-back games and has notched an extra-base hit in both games as well. Prior to this mini outburst, Neto was slashing .167/.241/.208 with just three doubles, six RBI, four runs and a 6:25 BB:K in 78 plate appearances. He's now raised his average to .205 as he looks to continue to pick up steam at the plate.