MLB Player News

Montero is expected to work in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Sean Guenther in Monday's game in St. Louis, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

The Cardinals typically use two left-handed batters -- Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan -- among their top three spots in the lineup, so the Tigers will have the left-handed Guenther open the game with the hope of stymieing the St. Louis offense early on. Guenther is unlikely to work more than a couple of innings before giving way to Montero, who will be making his second straight appearance in a bulk-relief role after covering 3.1 frames and giving up three earned runs out of the bullpen last Tuesday against the Red Sox. Montero should stick around as the de facto fifth member of the Detroit rotation until Casey Mize (hamstring) is cleared to return from the 15-day injured list.

Guenther will serve as the Tigers' opening pitcher for Monday's game against the Cardinals, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Guenther will draw his first MLB start Monday, though he hasn't covered more than two innings in any of his nine appearances between the big club and the minors this season and is unlikely to work deep into the contest. Keider Montero is slated to cover the bulk of the innings out of the bullpen once Guenther exits the game.

Rocker (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment later this week as long as he bounces back well from a two-inning live batting practice session he threw Sunday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Rocker's stuff looked "good" Sunday, adding that the right-hander's rehab assignment will be a lengthy one as he gets stretched back out following a three-week shutdown period. Rocker has been out for almost four weeks with a right shoulder impingement. He logged an 8.10 ERA in his first five starts this season before the injury and wouldn't seem to be guaranteed a spot in the Texas rotation once he's activated from the 15-day injured list.

Jimenez was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Durham on Monday due to right Achilles tendinitis, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Jimenez has slashed .270/.331/.369 with two home runs and a 28:13 K:BB over 37 games this season with Durham, splitting time between right field and designated hitter while mixing in some starts at first base and left field. It's not clear how long the 28-year-old might be sidelined.

Clase went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Sunday's loss to the Tigers.

Getting the start in left field and batting ninth, Clase swiped his first big-league bag of the year after leading off the fifth inning with a single, but the top of the Toronto order couldn't bring him home in an eventual 3-2 loss. Clase has been starting every other game since rejoining the 26-man roster May 7, but he doesn't have much production to show for it, going 3-for-20 with two RBI and a 0:7 BB:K.

Varsho's average exit velocity has increased from 86.1 mph in 2024 to 94.1 mph this season heading into Sunday's game thanks to tweaks he made to his swing mechanics this offseason, Mitch Bannon of the Athletic reports.

That's an absolutely stunning increase in how hard Varsho is hitting the ball. The center fielder was in the seventh percentile in AEV last year; this year he'd be in 95th percentile if he had enough plate appearances to qualify for the Statcast leaderboard. The added force has led to six homers and a .404 ISO through his first 14 games, and while that pace is unsustainable, Varsho seems poised to take a run at the career-high 27 home runs he slugged in 2022 despite the fact that he missed the first month of the current season while recovering from shoulder surgery.

Gordon is scheduled to start Monday's series opener versus the Rays in Tampa.

Gordon will be awarded a second turn through the rotation after he was called up from Triple-A Sugar Land last Wednesday to make his MLB debut. He settled for a no-decision in his first start after giving up three earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out three over 4.1 innings in the Astros' 4-3 win over the Royals. The Astros are likely to continue maintaining a six-man rotation this week, but Houston may have room for just one of Gordon and Ryan Gusto if manager Joe Espada decides to scale the rotation back to five men next week.

Hamilton started at second base and went 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base in Sunday's 10-4 loss to Atlanta.

Hamilton got the start at second base with a slumping Kristian Campbell (.078 in last 13 games) getting a breather. Hamilton doesn't start often but has made an impact with eight steals in a limited role (58 at-bats). With news that Campbell has begun taking reps at first base, an opening could eventually emerge for Hamilton, who has shaken off an early season slump. He's batting .393 (11-for-28) with six steals in 12 games during the month of May.

Pillar started in right field and went 0-for-4 in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Astros.

Pillar was activated off the injured list Sunday and in the lineup against Houston left-hander Framber Valdez. Pillar is typically in the lineup against lefties but could see opportunities against right-handers after primary center fielder Evan Carter (quad) was placed on the 10-day injured list.

Haggerty started in center field and batted leadoff Sunday, going 1-for-4 with a run scored in a 4-3 loss to Houston.

Haggerty stepped in for Evan Carter on Saturday, when the latter was scratched due to a quad issue. The injury landed Carter on the 10-day injured list, is considered a Grade 2 strain and will likely force him to miss two weeks at least, according to MLB.com. That likely means the switch-hitting Haggerty and righty-batting Kevin Pillar will split duties in the center field.