MLB Player News

Butler is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

The Athletics will send Butler and fellow left-handed batter Tyler Soderstrom to the bench while southpaw Patrick Corbin toes the rubber for Texas. Colby Thomas will replace Butler in the lineup, manning center field and batting sixth.

Carter is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics.

For the second time in the series, the left-handed-hitting Carter will retreat to the bench while the Athletics send another lefty (JP Sears) to the hill. Michael Helman will get the start in center field in place of Carter, who has gone 0-for-9 with two walks to begin the second half of the season.

Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics.

Though he was included in the lineup for Monday's series opener when the Athletics sent southpaw Jacob Lopez to the hill, the left-handed-hitting Smith will take a seat Wednesday while lefty JP Sears pitches for the opposition. With Smith on the bench, Ezequiel Duran will pick up a start at first base.

Pederson (hand) is expected to report to Double-A Frisco this weekend to begin a rehab assignment, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

After taking batting practice Tuesday and Wednesday, Pederson said he's feeling good physically and merely needs to continue his ramp-up process by getting in some competitive at-bats before the Rangers bring him back from the 10-day injured list. Manager Bruce Bochy suggested Tuesday that he doesn't anticipate Pederson needing a lengthy rehab assignment, so the 33-year-old may just stick around with Frisco through the weekend before the Rangers potentially activate him early next week. Pederson has been on the shelf since May 25 with a broken right hand but didn't require surgery.

Kim (back) isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Kim will miss a second consecutive start Wednesday after injuring his back during Monday's game. A day off for the Rays on Thursday will give the 29-year-old even more time to recover, and he'll aim to return for the start of the weekend series in Cincinnati on Friday. In the meantime, Taylor Walls will pick up another start at shortstop.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said that Tolbert was removed in the eighth inning of Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Cubs due to cramping, Pete Grathoff of The Kansas City Star reports.

Tolbert started at third base and went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a two-run home run before being replaced by Jonathan India in the bottom of the eighth. With the Royals off Thursday, Tolbert will have an extra day to recover before the start of Kansas City's three-game weekend home series against Cleveland.

Higashioka was diagnosed with a mild hamstring strain and will be out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Higashioka's hamstring injury resulted in him making an early exit from Tuesday's 6-2 win. Despite the backstop's diagnosis, manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday that he's hopeful Higashioka can avoid a trip to the injured list. Jonah Heim will start behind the plate in Wednesday's series finale and will likely operate as the Rangers' primary catcher until Higashioka is healthy.

Baldwin will start in left field and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Rays.

The White Sox will keep Baldwin in the lineup for a third straight matchup with a right-handed starter (Taj Bradley), after he went 1-for-7 with a home run and three RBI in the first two contests of the series. For the season, the 24-year-old Baldwin is hitting just .222/.264/.364 over 178 plate appearances, but he may continue seeing plenty of starts over the final two months of the campaign while the non-contending White Sox prioritize playing time for their younger players down the stretch.

The Rays recalled Montes from Triple-A Durham on Wednesday.

He will join the 26-man active roster as a replacement for Stuart Fairchild (oblique), who was placed on the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. The 28-year-old Montes is capable of playing three infield positions as well as the corner outfield, and while he's unlikely to see consistent at-bats, he'll provide the Rays with a versatile bench piece. Montes has spent the bulk of the season at Durham, where he's produced a .221/.272/.344 slash line with six home runs and seven steals in 272 plate appearances.

O'Neill (general soreness) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians.

Though O'Neill will miss out on a second straight start, interim manager Tony Mansolino said that he's hopeful the 30-year-old will be available off the bench WEdnesday, per Brendan Mortensen of MASNSports.com. Mansolino added that O'Neill is "trending toward" starting Thursday, though his inclusion in the lineup for the series finale will likely depend on how he feels when he reports to the ballpark in the morning.