MLB Player News

Walls is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Though he'll be on the bench Wednesday, Walls appears to have taken back primary shortstop duties from Jose Caballero. Walls had started in each of the Rays' previous nine games and provided a rare impact at the dish during that stretch, slashing .310/.400/.379 with two doubles, five walks, one steal, five runs and three RBI.

Rortvedt is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Though he had seemed to be moving into the strong side of a platoon at catcher with Danny Jansen, the left-handed-hitting Rortvedt will end up hitting the bench Wednesday for a third straight matchup versus a right-handed starting pitcher. Rortvedt is heralded for his defense behind the plate and his quick pop time, but he's been an easy out at the plate this season with a .196 on-base percentage.

Bader was removed from the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader in Baltimore in the third inning due to an undisclosed injury, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Bader grounded out in the top of the third inning before being replaced in center field for the bottom of the frame. It's not clear what he's dealing with, but Bader was visited by the trainer in the first game Wednesday after sliding into the side wall following a catch. He stayed in that contest but might have aggravated something in the second game. The Twins should have more on Bader's condition shortly.

Winckowski was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday due to right elbow inflammation, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

It's not yet clear how long Winkowski will be sidelined, but it will be a while before he's under consideration for a promotion to the major-league club. The swingman holds a 3.86 ERA and 9:5 K:BB over 11.2 innings with the Red Sox this season and a 2.21 ERA and 18:2 K:BB across 20.1 frames with Worcester.

Torkelson is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Torkelson clubbed his 11th home run in Tuesday's extra-innings victory over the Red Sox, but he will receive just his second day off of the season in Wednesday's series finale. Colt Keith is playing first base for the Tigers and Kerry Carpenter will be the club's designated hitter.

Meadows (arm) threw to bases from the outfield Wednesday and said afterward that he feels close to being ready for a rehab assignment, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Meadows hasn't played in a game since late February as he recovers from a nerve issue in his right arm. Because his absence has been so long, his rehab assignment could last for close to the full 20-day window. Still, Meadows makes for a fine stash in fantasy leagues where he's available.

Smith (back) will start at shortstop and bat leadoff in Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

Smith had missed the Rangers' last two games while tending to a sore lower back, but the team had labeled him as day-to-day and never expressed much concern that he would require a stint on the injured list. The super-utility man had made his previous two starts at first base before his brief absence, but he'll likely see the bulk of his reps at shortstop for the foreseeable future after the Rangers placed Corey Seager (hamstring) back on the IL on Tuesday. Smith took over as the everyday leadoff man earlier this month and should continue to maintain those duties while he's gotten on base at a .389 clip through his first 36 games of the season.

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

Lukes will hit the bench after he had picked up starts in the corner outfield in each of the Blue Jays' previous five games while going 5-for-18 with a home run and two walks. He'll be replaced in left field by Jonatan Clase, but Lukes may have the upper hand on a regular lineup spot until Andres Gimenez's (quadricep) eventual return from the injured list takes an everyday role off the table.

Martin said Wednesday that an MRI on his right elbow came back negative, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Martin was removed from Tuesday's game against the Rockies due to tightness in his pitching elbow, but he looks to have avoided a major injury. The reliever will play catch pregame Wednesday but is likely to be unavailable for at least a day or two.

Kirk (head) will start at catcher and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Rays.

Kirk was pulled from his last start in Sunday's 9-1 win over the Mariners after he was inadvertently hit in the head by Julio Rodriguez's bat while catching, but the backstop passed all subsequent concussion tests. The Blue Jays still elected to hold Kirk out of the lineup for Tuesday's series opener versus the Rays, but he's ready to go for Wednesday's contest. Kirk maintains a .286 batting average to go with two home runs and 13 RBI over 31 games on the season.