MLB Player News

Barger will start at third base and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Guardians.

Barger has now been included in the lineup in five straight games, drawing three starts at third base and two in right field. The Blue Jays seem committed to deploying Barger in an everyday role, though he'll need to improve his production at the plate to build more job security. Since his April 15 call-up from Triple-A Buffalo, Barger has slashed just .147/.216/.235 over 13 games.

The White Sox placed Ellard on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to a left lat strain.

The left-hander presumably sustained the injury Saturday when he gave up two runs on two walks over two-thirds of an inning. Ellard missed most of April due to a hamstring strain and is now on the injured list for the second time this season.

Clement is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.

Clement will take a seat for the second game in a row and could be moving into more of a part-time role against right-handed pitching while the Blue Jays look to open up more playing time at third base for Addison Barger, who draws the start Sunday. Barger is capable of playing the corner outfield as well, so Clement could see his opportunities against right-handed pitching pick up if he performs well enough to warrant more at-bats. Clement has thus far offered little to get excited about for fantasy purposes, slashing just .225/.259/.275 with zero home runs and one steal over 86 plate appearances on the season.

Noel is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

Though Noel is on the bench for the series finale, he had started in right field five of the past six games. The Guardians have deployed Noel as a short-side platoon player for most of the season, but he's been getting more opportunities against right-handed pitching of late while Nolan Jones has struggled to get the job done. Jones is back in the lineup Sunday but is slashing just .160/.284/.267 with a 33 percent strikeout rate over his 88 plate appearances on the season.

Rocchio is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

After he was held out of the lineup Tuesday and Wednesday, Rocchio drew starts at shortstop in each of the ensuing three contests, but he went 0-for-8 with four strikeouts in those games to bring his average down to .185 on the season. Now back on the bench Sunday, Rocchio looks like he may have to settle for a part-time role in the middle infield, as the Guardians have been prioritizing Gabriel Arias and Daniel Schneemann ahead of him.

The Astros reinstated McCullers (forearm) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Sunday against the White Sox in Chicago.

McCullers will be making his first appearance for Houston since the 2022 World Series, as he missed the past two seasons while recovering from June 2023 flexor tendon surgery. He's enjoyed a clean bill of health since the start of spring training and wrapped up his rehab assignment on a high note April 26, striking out seven over five scoreless innings and 71 pitches for Double-A Corpus Christi. As a result, he could be capped at 80-90 pitches in his season debut. McCullers is likely to be kept on a five-day rest schedule between starts initially, and the Astros are expected to transition into a six-man rotation during busier portions of their schedule to accommodate him.

Alvarez (hand) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox, though manager Joe Espada said the slugger is feeling better and isn't expected to require medical imaging, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Alvarez was scratched from Saturday's starting nine due to inflammation in his right hand, and he'll sit for a second consecutive game in Chicago. The 27-year-old doesn't appear to be dealing with a serious injury, though the fact medical imaging hasn't been completely ruled out could indicate Alvarez will miss another game or two after Sunday.

Ragans (groin) is scheduled to start Monday's game against the White Sox, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.

The 27-year-old hasn't pitched since April 24 due to a groin strain, but he's poised to take the mound Monday after missing just one turn through the rotation. Ragans has surrendered nine runs in his past two starts, but he was dominant in his first four outings of the season with a 2.28 ERA and 34:4 K:BB across 23.2 innings.

Rojas (toe) was activated from the 10-day injured list and will start at third base and bat seventh Sunday versus the Astros.

Rojas has been sidelined since he fractured his right big toe in mid-March, but he's ready to make his debut for the White Sox after a three-game rehab assignment. The 30-year-old had an underwhelming .225/.304/.336 slash line with eight homers and 10 steals in 143 games in Seattle last year, but he inked a one-year, $3.5 million deal with Chicago in January and is expected to see regular action between second base and the hot corner now that he's healthy.

Varsho was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians due to lower-back tightness, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

The severity of the injury isn't known, but it's an encouraging sign that he didn't aggravate his surgically repaired right shoulder, which he spent the first month-plus of the season rehabbing. Varsho should be considered day-to-day and will have Monday's team off day to aid in his recovery ahead of Tuesday's series opener versus the Angels.