MLB Player News

Barger is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.

The left-handed-hitting Barger hasn't been a strict platoon player for the Blue Jays this season, but he'll nonetheless head to the bench for Toronto's second straight matchup with a lefty (Matthew Liberatore), after Barger previously sat against Phillies southpaw Jesus Luzardo last Thursday. With Barger out of the lineup, Ernie Clement will cover third base and George Springer will occupy right field.

Scherzer (thumb) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Scherzer is in line to throw 60-to-65 pitches in what will be his first start since he went down with right thumb inflammation in late March. The 40-year-old will need at least one additional rehab start after Friday's outing before rejoining the Blue Jays' rotation.

Clarke allowed four runs on five hits and one walk with no strikeouts over one-third of an inning in Tuesday's 10-2 loss against the Yankees.

The right-hander entered in relief of Noah Cameron with two outs and a runner on in the sixth inning, but he quickly unraveled, surrendering a flurry of hits that allowed the inherited runner to score along with four more runs of his own. Clarke entered Tuesday with a stellar 1.29 ERA and 0.43 WHIP, but those marks ballooned to 3.77 and 0.84, respectively, after the rough outing.

Manzardo is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.

The left-handed-hitting Manzardo has produced a .947 OPS in 40 plate appearances versus lefties this season, but he'll likely find himself on the bench more frequently against southpaws while the Guardians have plenty of right-handed bats available off the bench. David Fry will replace Manzardo at designated hitter in Wednesday's series finale while the Reds send southpaw Nick Lodolo to the bump.

Schneemann is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.

The left-handed-hitting Schneemann has posted a .526 OPS against southpaws this season, and he could find himself on the bench more frequently versus same-handed pitching now that the Guardians are back to full strength in the infield and outfield. He'll give way to Angel Martinez at second base Wednesday while the Reds send southpaw Nick Lodolo to the bump.

Naylor is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Reds.

Naylor started each of the previous four contests, so he's earned a breather for Wednesday's matinee. Dom Nunez will start at catcher and bat eighth for Cleveland.

Bichette went 3-for-5 with three runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Cardinals.

The shortstop set the table effectively from the leadoff spot as the Blue Jays piled up 10 runs on the night. Bichette has been on a roll since late May, slashing .293/.328/.569 over his last 14 games with four homers, nine runs and 13 RBI to push his OPS on the season to .745 -- a huge rebound after he crashed to a .599 OPS in 2024.

Kirk went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and two additional runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Cardinals.

The 26-year-old backstop is enjoying his trip to St. Louis, homering in back-to-back contests to begin the series as part of a seven-hit barrage. Kirk has hit safely in six straight games and nine of his last 10, slashing a blistering .475/.511/.725 over the latter stretch with eight runs scored and 12 RBI.

Kwan is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Reds.

The Guardians are facing lefty Nick Lodolo on Wednesday, marking the third straight day they've gone up against a southpaw. The lefty-swinging Kwan will get a rare day off in the series finale, after going hitless in the first two games against Cincinnati. Nolan Jones will start in left field and bat sixth as the Guardians try to avoid a sweep.

Chourio (oblique) went 0-for-3 with two walks and a run scored Monday in his return to the Single-A Fort Myers lineup after being reinstated from the 7-day injured list.

Chourio was back in action for Fort Myers after missing just under a month due to an oblique strain. He holds a .190/.382/.250 slash line with one home run and six stolen bases in 30 games for Fort Myers this season.