MLB Player News

Lowe is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles.

Lowe will head to the bench while the Rays go with a right-handed-heavy lineup featuring just one lefty hitter (Jonathan Aranda) to counter Orioles southpaw Trevor Rogers. Curtis Mead will fill in for Lowe at second base and will bat second.

The Astros recalled Hernandez from Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

All 29 of Hernandez's appearances this season have come in Triple-A, where he owns an impressive 1.74 ERA and 0.97 WHIP alongside a 42:13 K:BB through 31 innings. He'll now be called upon to serve as a middle-relief option for Houston, replacing Jason Alexander in the bullpen.

Thaiss is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles.

After going 0-for-2 while playing six innings behind the plate in Tuesday's 5-1 loss, Thaiss will retreat to the bench Wednesday while Danny Jansen gets the nod behind the plate. Since being acquired from the White Sox and activated May 28, Thaiss has started in seven of the Rays' ensuing 20 games and has batted .250 with no extra-base hits.

The Astros placed Rodgers on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, retroactive to June 15, due to a left oblique strain, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Rodgers presumably sustained the injury the last time he saw the field Saturday against Minnesota, as he went 1-for-2 before being replaced by a pinch hitter. The veteran second baseman will be eligible to be reinstated from the injured list next week, though it's unclear how long he's expected to be sidelined.

The Astros recalled Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Four days after being optioned to Triple-A, Whitcomb will rejoin the big-league roster to replace Brendan Rodgers, who landed on the IL with a strained oblique. Whitcomb appeared in four games and went 0-for-7 during his first stint with the Astros this season, and he'll likely remain a bench bat for the big club this time around.

Carlson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.

Carlson had made starts in the corner outfield in each of the last six games and went 9-for-21 with a solo home run, a stolen base and three additional runs, but he'll hit the bench Wednesday while Baltimore rolls out an outfield of Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins and Ramon Laureano from left to right. Ryan O'Hearn will serve as Baltimore's designated hitter Wednesday, but if he ends up seeing the bulk of his playing time at first base moving forward, the Orioles could cycle a number of players at the DH spot to afford Carlson regular playing time in the outfield.

Urias is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.

Urias will take a seat for the second game in a row and looks to be moving into more of a part-time role now with Jordan Westburg having taken back over as the Orioles' primary third baseman following his return from the injured list last Tuesday. The Orioles should still be able to find room in the lineup for Urias against left-handed pitching, but his opportunities to play against righties could become more sporadic.

Soderstrom is not in the Athletics' starting lineup against the Astros on Wednesday.

Soderstrom will sit for the second time in four days while Max Schuemann, Denzel Clarke and Brent Rooker man the outfield for the Athletics. Soderstrom has gone 10-for-52 (.192) with two steals, one triple, two home runs and 10 RBI since the beginning of June.

Butler is not in the Athletics' starting lineup against the Astros on Wednesday.

Butler has struggled at the plate as of late, going 4-for-34 (.118) with one steal, a solo home run and a 37.1 percent strikeout rate over his past eight contests. He'll begin Wednesday's game on the bench while Max Schuemann, Denzel Clarke and Brent Rooker start in the outfield from left to right.

A second opinion Tuesday confirmed that Ragans has a rotator cuff strain in his left shoulder, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

It's been nearly two weeks since Ragans has thrown a ball, and now that his diagnosis has been confirmed, the Royals will keep him shut down for another two weeks before re-evaluating him. A clearer timeline for his return may emerge once he's ready to begin a throwing program, but it seems unlikely that he'll be able to rejoin the rotation before the All-Star break. As long as Ragans is out, Noah Cameron's job as the fifth starter should be secure.