MLB Player News

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.

The Rays placed Fairchild on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a right oblique strain.

Tampa Bay acquired Fairchild in a trade with Atlanta on Tuesday, but he'll now have to wait until August to make his Rays debut after being shelved with the injury. The Rays recalled utility man Coco Montes from Triple-A Durham to fill the open spot on the big club's bench.

Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said that Mountcastle (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment Thursday with Triple-A Norfolk, Brendan Mortensen of MASNSports.com reports.

Mouncastle won't be eligible for activation until July 30, so he'll likely stick around in Norfolk through the next week to compile at-bats before the Orioles add him back to the roster. Before going down in late May with a right hamstring strain, Mountcastle had gotten off to a poor start to the season at the plate, batting just .246/.280/.348 with two home runs in 200 plate appearances. An everyday role may not be waiting for Mountcastle once he's reinstated, though his outlook for playing time would improve if the non-contending Orioles move impending free agent Ramon Laureano prior to the July 31 trade deadline.

Eder (0-1) took the loss Tuesday as the Angels were downed 6-3 by the Mets, coughing up five runs on seven hits and a walk over six relief innings. He struck out seven.

The left-hander entered the game in the third inning as the third Angels pitcher to take the mound, and Eder stuck around to the bitter end, tossing 67 of 98 pitches for strikes but serving up a three-run homer to Pete Alonso in the third that put the Mets in the lead for good. Eder has taken the ball every fifth day since July 13 and tossed at least 50 pitches in all three long-relief outings, but his 5.54 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 11:5 K:BB over 13 innings during that span aren't exactly encouraging. It's unclear what the team's plans are for the fifth starter spot, but if Eder stays on schedule his next appearance will come at home early next week against the Rangers.