MLB Player News

Morales will start Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Morales most recently logged two innings in his big-league debut Aug. 1, and prior to that, he had been logging between one and three innings per outing at Triple-A Las Vegas. With that in mind, Morales' first big-league start will likely be a short one. Morales has big-time stuff, with his fastball having touched triple digits in the past, but his control has been much better since he started pitching in shorter stints after giving up six runs in 2.1 innings in a June 21 start. After that, he had a 2.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 20:6 K:BB in 18 innings over nine appearances before getting the call to the majors. Osvaldo Bido could be an option to log multiple innings after Morales exits Sunday.

Perez, who fouled a ball off his right foot Saturday and had to leave the game in the fifth inning, is dealing with a bruise and doesn't have any structural damage, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Perez's foot is in pain and swollen, but he'll see how he feels Sunday and should be considered day-to-day. He went 2-for-2 with a triple and a run scored before exiting Saturday's contest.

Gordon, who last started Aug. 2 in Boston, appears to have been moved to a relief role with the Astros naming Jason Alexander their starting pitcher for Sunday's series finale against the Yankees.

Alexander has pitched more recently than Gordon -- he threw six scoreless frames Monday en route to his second win of the season -- so the fact that the right-hander is receiving the start over Gordon on Sunday suggests that the rookie lefty could work out of the bullpen moving forward. Gordon has posted a 7.36 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 16:3 K:BB in 14.2 innings over his last three starts.

Mayer has yet to resume baseball activities since landing on the injured list July 25 due to a sprained right wrist, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Mayer received an anti-inflammatory injection Aug. 2, but he's taken longer to bounce back from the sprained wrist than anticipated. The Red Sox's plan was to see how he felt after three days and have him begin baseball activities if the injection had the desired effect, but he's taking part in only individual workouts as of Saturday. Surgery is viewed as an option, but Mayer is still attempting to return this season.

High-A Aberdeen placed Gomez on the 7-day injured list Saturday with a lower-back strain, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Gomez gave up 11 earned runs in 6.1 innings over his seven most recent appearances in the Mets organization before getting traded to the Orioles at the deadline in the Cedric Mullins deal. Gomez has not pitched for the Orioles yet and logged a 4.63 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 48:25 K:BB in 35 innings across High-A and Single-A earlier this year. If he can throw more strikes, Gomez could be a late-inning arm in a few years.

Perez left in the fifth inning of Saturday's game against the Angels due to a leg injury, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Perez fouled a ball of his leg in the second inning, but he stayed in the game and proceeded to hit a triple. His leg appeared to be bothering him when he was driven home one batter later, and he has been replaced by Zach McKinstry at shortstop to start the fifth. Perez will undergo further tests in the clubhouse, and the Rays should have an update on the 25-year-old's injury during or shortly after Saturday's contest.

Walls was scratched from Saturday's lineup against the Mariners due to a left groin injury, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Walls started feeling discomfort during Friday's game, and the issue persisted enough for him to be removed from Saturday's lineup, though he could be available to pinch hit. In 18 games since the All-Star break, Walls has slashed .236/.263/.418 with three steals, seven doubles, one home run and nine RBI in 59 plate appearances.

Walls (undisclosed) was scratched from the Rays' starting lineup against the Mariners on Saturday, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Walls was originally slated to start at shortstop. Now that he's out of the lineup, Ha-Seong Kim will move to shortstop while Tristan Gray starts at the keystone. The Rays are likely to provide an update on Walls after Saturday's game.

Stephenson threw a bullpen session Friday and "came through it fine," per interim manager Ray Montgomery, and the veteran reliever may next begin a minor-league rehab assignment, according to MLB.com.

Stephenson has had an injury-plagued campaign and has gotten into only two games so far for the Angels. His current injury is a stretched nerve in his right biceps and he's on the 60-day IL, so he isn't eligible to be activated until the final week of August. The positive news is that Stephenson has been able to deploy his full arsenal during recent bullpen sessions, and while he could be asked to toss more bullpens before he's deemed ready for game action, a minor-league rehab stint appears to be in the works in the near future.

Mangum is not in the Rays' starting lineup against the Mariners on Saturday.

The Rays will start Chandler Simpson, Tristan Peters and Josh Lowe in the outfield from left to right. Mangum has struggled at the plate in the 18 games since the All-Star break, posting a .389 OPS with three steals and two RBI over that span.