MLB Player News

Clemens is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rangers.

Though he'll take a seat with southpaw Patrick Corbin on the bump for Texas, the left-handed-hitting Clemens had started at second base in five of the previous six games. Clemens went just 2-for-17 with a home run and two walks in that six-game stretch, however, and with Royce Lewis finally beginning to break out of his extended slump at the plate, Clemens could end up losing out on more opportunities to play against right-handers in the near future.

The Yankees optioned Headrick to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.

A corresponding move will be announced prior to Thursday's game in Kansas City. Headrick has a 4.73 ERA over 13.1 innings with the Yankees this season, but his 16:3 K:BB suggests he's pitched better than the ERA indicates.

Latz (hand) allowed two earned runs on three hits in an inning of relief in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Twins.

The lefty made his second career MLB start in his most recent appearance last Sunday against the Nationals and struck out seven over 3.1 innings before exiting with an apparent blister or cut on his pitching hand, but he made enough improvement for the Rangers to call upon him from the bullpen three days later. With Nathan Eovaldi (triceps) looking unlikely to be ready to return from the injured list the next time his turn in the rotation comes up Saturday versus the White Sox, Latz could be needed to make another start. Even if that's the case, Latz would likely be deployed as more of an opener than a traditional starter.

Heim is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Minnesota.

Heim went 2-for-3 with a run scored while catching eight innings of Wednesday night's 6-2 loss, so he will receive a breather for Thursday's matinee. Kyle Higashioka will be behind the dish and bat ninth for the Rangers.

Kremer won't start Thursday's game against the Tigers but could work in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Keegan Akin, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The Orioles haven't officially confirmed that Kremer is on track to pitch Thursday, but he was previously listed as the team's scheduled starter and hasn't been reported to be dealing with an injury, so the belief is that he'll enter the contest after Akin covers the first inning or two. Kremer has made all but one of his 108 career MLB appearances as a starter, but the Orioles may be looking to see if working in bulk relief helps enhance his performance. The right-hander is coming off a rough start Friday against the Athletics in which he gave up five earned runs on eight hits and one walk over 5.1 innings.

Akin will serve as the Orioles' opening pitcher in Thursday's game versus the Tigers, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Dean Kremer had been scheduled to start, but he now appears slated to serve as a bulk reliever. Akin has opened twice for the Orioles this season, tossing a combined 2.2 frames in those outings.

Stroman (knee) covered 3.1 innings and struck out four batters while allowing one earned run on one hit and two walks in his first rehab start Wednesday with Double-A Somerset.

Considering Stroman hadn't pitched in a game since April 11 after being shut down due to left knee inflammation, his performance in Wednesday's outing with Somerset was about as good as the Yankees could have expected following a lengthy layoff. The right-hander faced 13 batters in the start and pumped in 27 of his 46 pitches for strikes. The Yankees are letting Stroman build back up as a starter, but he'll likely need to continue to find success over his subsequent rehab outings in order to unseat Ryan Yarbrough in the rotation once he's activated from the 15-day injured list. Since stepping in as the Yankees' No. 5 starter May 3, Yarbrough owns a respectable 4.20 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 30 innings over his six starts.

Paredes went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored Wednesday against the White Sox.

Paredes has had an interesting start to June. He has hit only .235 with a relatively elevated 25 percent strikeout rate, yet he also has three home runs, nine RBI and five runs scored across nine games. Overall, Paredes has arguably been Houston's most consistent hitter this season and is on pace to match the production of his 2022 campaign -- the best of his career.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Cousins (forearm) appears to be dealing with a UCL injury, but the right-hander will receive further medical opinions before the diagnosis is confirmed, Jackson Stone of MLB.com reports.

Cousins was dealing with a right forearm strain upon reporting to spring training and opened the season on the injured list, and his rehab process was extended further in May, when he suffered a pectoral injury. He made enough progress with his throwing program to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment earlier this month, but he made just two appearances before experiencing his second setback of the season. If Cousins is in fact dealing with ligament damage in his elbow, his return would likely be pushed back until after the All-Star break if he elects to treat the injury with rest and rehab. Season-ending Tommy John surgery would also be a potential outcome.

Lowe went 0-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Lowe has served as the Rays' primary leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching since May 28 and has struggled to reach base consistently. Across 13 games, he's gone 10-for-49 with a 29.1 percent strikeout rate, although he has also scored nine runs and stolen three bases. Given his .291 on-base percentage, the Rays could decide to shift Lowe down the order, but he's proven to be a strong fantasy contributor from the top spot despite a poor batting average.