MLB Player News

Woods Richardson will pitch in bulk relief Saturday versus Atlanta, Phil Miller of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

The 24-year-old was originally penciled in to start for the Twins, but the team will instead use Justin Topa as an opener, which will limit the number of times Woods Richardson has to face Alex Verdugo, Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna. Woods Richardson enters Saturday's contest with a 4.30 ERA and 1.57 WHIP alongside a 16:5 K:BB across 14.2 innings.

Rodgers isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Padres, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Rodgers' base hit in Friday's contest snapped what had been an 0-for-12 stretch at the plate, and he'll now get to rest against Michael King and the Padres. Jose Altuve will shift to second base as a result, moving Yordan Alvarez into left field while Yainer Diaz serves as the DH.

Woods Richardson was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday against Atlanta.

It's unclear why Woods Richardson is being held out of Saturday's contest, but the Twins should provide more information in the near future. In the meantime, Justin Topa will fill in as an opener.

Manager Kevin Cash said Saturday that the Rays expect Palacios (knee) to miss roughly 4-to-6 weeks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

A right knee sprain sent Palacios to the 10-day injured list Friday. The Rays are still gathering opinions on how to approach the 27-year-old's recovery, but he seems to be in for a long stay on the IL, whether he undergoes surgery or not.

The Astros optioned Hernandez to Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

With Forrest Whitley (knee) returning from the injured list, Hernandez will head back to the minors in order to create space on the active roster. The 30-year-old righty never made an appearance for Houston after being recalled Tuesday, but he could be an option for the Astros later in the year after starting with a 1.29 ERA at Sugar Land.

The Astros reinstated Whitley (knee) from the injured list Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Whitley landed on the injured list at the start of the season due to a bone bruise in his left knee. He has since made four rehab appearances at Triple-A Sugar Land, allowing three runs while striking out five batters and walking four over 3.2 innings. He'll almost certainly work in low-leverage situations for the Astros; meanwhile, Nick Hernandez will head back to Triple-A.

Larnach isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Atlanta.

With southpaw Chris Sale scheduled to take the mound for Atlanta, the left-handed bat of Larnach will stay put on the bench to begin Saturday's contest. Ryan Jeffers will serve as Minnesota's designated hitter instead while Christian Vazquez starts behind the dish.

Castro (oblique) is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against Atlanta.

Castro will officially miss a second consecutive game after leaving Wednesday's game early due to right oblique tightness. Luke Keaschall will start at second base with Jonah Bride at third.

Vazquez (hand) will start at catcher and bat eighth Saturday against Atlanta.

Vazquez has been held out of action ever since suffering a hand injury during Monday's contest, but a few days of rest has him feeling well enough to return behind the dish Saturday. The 34-year-old backstop is off to a poor start to the year, slashing .115/.172/.192 over his first 29 plate appearances.

Morel isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Friday's series opener, Morel will take a seat while Kameron Misner, Chandler Simpson and Jake Mangum start across Tampa Bay's outfield Saturday.