MLB Player News

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

Rave had started in both of the Royals' previous two matchups with right-handed pitching, but his playing time could become more scarce moving forward while he's struggled to get going at the plate. Since getting called up from Triple-A Omaha on May 26, Rave is slashing .200/.242/.267 with a 31.4 percent strikeout rate over 35 plate appearances.

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

Loftin had started in five of the previous six games, but he went just 2-for-17 with two triples and two walks during that stretch. He'll bow out of the lineup for the series finale, paving the way for Drew Waters to pick up a start in left field.

The Rays optioned Sulser to Triple-A Durham on Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Sulser made three appearances after being recalled from Triple-A last week, allowing one earned run while striking out four batters over 2.1 frames. He owns a 3.21 ERA through 14 MLB innings this season but will head back to the minors in favor of Connor Seabold, who will give the team another fresh arm to work with.

The Rays recalled Seabold from Triple-A Durham on Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Since being optioned to the minors in late May, Seabold has given up six runs while striking out eight batters and walking nine across nine innings. Despite his recent struggles, he'll return to Tampa to provide the Rays with a fresh bullpen arm, replacing Cole Sulser.

Smith (hamstring) is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Royals, but manager Bruce Bochy said that Smith will be available off the bench as a pinch hitter, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Smith's tight left hamstring will keep him out of the lineup for a third straight game could still be causing him some complications when he runs and plays the field, but the Rangers remain confident that the 27-year-old will avoid a trip to the injured list. In fact, Bochy added that he expects Smith to be ready to rejoin the starting nine during this weekend's series in Pittsburgh, though it wouldn't be surprising if Smith was used as a designated hitter initially. Smith has been a bright spot in a middling season for the Rangers, slashing .288/.357/.443 with seven home runs and eight stolen bases over 245 plate appearances while making starts at every position except pitcher and catcher.

Martin was unavailable to pitch in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Royals due to back stiffness, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

It's uncertain whether the back issue has cleared up enough for Martin to be available out of the bullpen Thursday. Martin has made three scoreless appearances since returning from a shoulder injury but has not pitched since last Friday.

Scherzer is dealing with some expected soreness in his right thumb following his rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Buffalo, but he is likely to return from the 60-day injured list during the Blue Jays' series next week in Cleveland, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Scherzer threw 75 pitches in Wednesday's outing, striking out eight over 4.1 scoreless innings. While it's not ideal that he's experiencing discomfort in his right thumb the day after the start, the Blue Jays were anticipating that would be the case. As long as Scherzer gets through a bullpen session Saturday without any concerns, he'll be cleared to start against the Guardians, likely next Tuesday.

Taylor will start in left field and bat ninth in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader versus the Cardinals.

Taylor will crack the lineup for the fifth time in six contests, drawing three starts against righties and two versus lefties during that stretch. Though he's holding down an .870 OPS so far in June and may have earned some extra opportunities as a result, Taylor is still likely viewed as the White Sox's fourth outfielder behind Luis Robert, Andrew Benintendi and Mike Tauchman. Taylor seems most likely to see the bulk of the starts moving forward against left-handed pitching, serving as a replacement in the lineup for either the left-handed-hitting Benintendi or Tauchman.

Quero is out of the lineup for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader versus the Cardinals.

After starting at either catcher or designated hitter in each of Chicago's last three contests, Quero will get a breather for the first game of the day. Expect Quero to replace Kyle Teel behind the dish for the second contest of the doubleheader, though Teel could still stick in the starting nine as the White Sox's DH.

Sosa is out of the lineup for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader versus the Cardinals.

Sosa had been scheduled to sit out Wednesday's game against right-hander Sonny Gray before the contest was postponed due to inclement weather. The two teams are making up the postponed game with a doubleheader Thursday, and Sosa will still find himself on the bench for the first contest of the day while St. Louis sends righty Erick Fedde to the bump. Sosa had been a near-everyday player for the White Sox prior to landing on the injured list June 4 with a hip flexor strain, and despite being activated earlier this week, he might have to settle for more of a part-time role in the Chicago infield.