MLB Player News

Helman will start in center field and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

With Wyatt Langford recently shifting over to left field after super-utility man Josh Smith was moved back to the middle infield in the wake of Marcus Semien (foot) and Corey Seager (appendectomy) landing on the shelf, center field has been opened up for Helman. The 29-year-old will be occupying center for the sixth game in a row Tuesday after going 5-for-18 with three extra-base hits, three walks, one stolen base, four RBI and five runs over the previous five contests.

Freeman will start at second base and bat sixth Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.

Freeman will draw his third consecutive start at the keystone and appears to have at least temporarily emerged as the Rangers' preferred option at the position over Ezequiel Duran, with Josh Smith having shifted over from second base to cover shortstop in the absence of Corey Seager (appendectomy). Since being recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Aug. 17, Freeman is slashing .250/.282/.444 with two home runs, one double, two walks, six RBI and five runs over 12 games.

The Red Sox will recall Sogard from Triple-A Worcester if Roman Anthony (oblique) requires a stint on the 10-day injured list, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

The Red Sox are awaiting MRI results on Anthony's left oblique, but they have Sogard on standby in case a roster move is required. Kristian Campbell could also be in consideration for a promotion if Anthony faces an extended absence, but Sogard will be the team's initial choice to replace the star rookie.

Jung is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Ezequiel Duran will fill in at third base while Jung receives a breather for the day game. Jung had started in each of the Rangers' last 11 contests, slashing .400/.413/.622 with two home runs, nine runs and eight RBI during that span.

Garcia (quadriceps) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Alejandro Osuna will draw the start in right field while Garcia sits for the second straight day as he continues to manage a Grade 2 right quad strain. According to MLB.com, manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday that he expects Garcia to be out for a few more days, but the Rangers are optimistic that the veteran outfielder will avoid a stint on the injured list.

Tellez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Since receiving a promotion from Triple-A Round Rock on July 18, Tellez has operated as the Rangers' preferred first baseman against right-handed pitching, but his hold on a strong-side platoon role could be loosening. Over his last 10 games, Tellez has cobbled together a middling .172/.250/.379 slash line. Even with righty Zac Gallen on the bump for Arizona, Tellez will give way to the right-handed-hitting Jake Burger at first base.

Rada is slashing .337/.462/.442 with one home run, 17 steals, a 16.5 percent walk rate and a 15.7 percent strikeout rate in 25 games for Triple-A Salt Lake.

While he's enjoying the hitter-friendly conditions of the Pacific Coast League, Rada's been 37 percent better than league average, thanks in part to a fortunate .413 BABIP. The 5-foot-9 Rada has hit six home runs in 406 career games and has typically been an extreme slash-and-dash hitter, logging high groundball rates and high opposite-field rates. However, at Triple-A, he has a career-high 41.8 percent pull rate, which at least opens the door for some power gains in the coming years if he can make similar strides with his groundball rate (54.8 percent at Triple-A). Rada, who turned 20 in August, is an above-average defensive center fielder and the youngest player to log over 100 plate appearances at Triple-A this season.

The Red Sox are not planning to recall Harrison from Triple-A Worcester prior to Wednesday's game versus the Guardians, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports.

Previous reports indicated that Harrison was headed to Boston and could start Wednesday's contest. However, the club has since announced that Brennan Bernardino will open the contest, with Dustin May slated for bulk relief. Harrison could still get an opportunity with the Red Sox at some point this month, but he'll remain with Worcester for now. The lefty has posted a 3.65 ERA and 48:26 K:BB over 49.1 innings covering 11 starts with Worcester after being dealt to Boston in the Rafael Devers trade.

Arias went 1-for-5 with a double and a run scored in his Double-A Portland debut Tuesday after being promoted from High-A Greenville.

He didn't hit for much power at High-A (.115 ISO), but Arias wasn't getting challenged as a hitter. His 8.9 percent strikeout rate and 0.91 BB/K were top-five marks among all qualified hitters at High-A. The righty-hitting Arias won't turn 20 years old until November, so any late-season struggles at Portland shouldn't be held against him. Public scouting reports are more bullish on Arias' shortstop defense this season than a year ago, and if he can stick at the position, it would put less pressure on him to tap into notable power.

Alexander is slated to start Wednesday's game against the Yankees in Houston, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

When he was initially called up from Triple-A Sugar Land on July 24, Alexander looked to be a temporary placeholder in the rotation until the Astros returned multiple rehabbing starting pitchers from the injured list. Much to the delight of the Astros, Alexander has pitched well enough to maintain his spot in the rotation, even though Spencer Arrighetti, Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia have since made their way back from the shelf. Houston has opted to move the struggling Lance McCullers to the bullpen to keep Alexander in the fold as a starter, and the journeyman right-hander should continue making regular turns through the six-man rotation throughout September so long as his performance warrants the opportunity. Since his call-up from Sugar Land, Alexander has produced a 3.18 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 35:10 K:BB in 39.2 innings across seven starts.