MLB Player News

Horwitz is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.

Hortwitz will sit for the series finale with Atlanta sending southpaw Chris Sale to the mound. Alejandro Kirk will serve as the designated hitter and bat fourth.

Williams (3-8) took the loss against the Dodgers on Saturday, allowing five runs on two hits and three walks over two-thirds of an inning. He did not record a strikeout.

Williams had a start he'd like to forget Saturday, issuing three consecutive walks with one out in the first inning before then surrendering a ground-rule double along with a sacrifice fly and an RBI single to put Cleveland in an early hole. The right-hander did not make it through the frame and would end up being charged with a fifth run after being relieved by Pedro Avila. It easily marked Williams' shortest outing of the campaign and came after he hurled seven innings of one-run ball in his previous start, while it also marked his first start in which he failed to record a strikeout. Furthermore, Williams has now lost four of his last five starts, issuing multiple free passes in each of those outings.

Lowe (finger) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

The 30-year-old will sit for the third consecutive game due ligament inflammation in his little finger. Christopher Morel will receive the start at second base while Junior Caminero gets a turn at designated hitter in Lowe's absence.

Altuve went 3-for-5 with a double, a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Saturday's 11-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

It was another strong showing from the leadoff spot for the likely future Hall of Famer. Altuve has caught fire as Houston pushes for another AL West title, racking up six multi-hit performances in his last 15 games while slashing .327/.403/.564 with three homers, two steals, six RBI and 13 runs. The 34-year-old second baseman is one long ball short of his third career 20-20 campaign, and his first since 2017.

Rafaela is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Rafaela will begin Sunday's contest in the dugout after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Saturday's 7-5 win over the White Sox. Enmanuel Valdez will start at second base and bat ninth against White Sox right-hander Chris Flexen.

Strickland earned a hold against the Rangers on Saturday, allowing one hit in a scoreless inning of work.

Strickland entered in the sixth inning and worked around a one-out walk to keep Texas off the scoreboard. It was the sixth straight scoreless outing for the veteran right-hander, who has posted a 7:1 K:BB over six innings during that span. Strickland has 11 holds on the campaign, his most since 2019.

Kikuchi (8-9) picked up the win Saturday, giving up four runs on seven hits over six innings in an 11-5 victory over the Diamondbacks. He struck out six without walking a batter.

The lefty served up solo homers to Kevin Newman in the fourth inning and Eugenio Suarez in the sixth, but Kikuchi got more than enough run support to cover for his lapses. He has yet to be tagged with a loss since being traded to the Astros, going 4-0 in seven starts for his new club with a 3.07 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 53:10 K:BB through 41 innings. Kikuchi will look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next weekend against the Angels.

The Red Sox selected Fitts' contract from Triple-A Worcester, and he's scheduled to start Sunday against the White Sox, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

The 24-year-old was acquired from the Yankees in the Alex Verdugo trade over the winter and is now making his MLB debut. Fitts has a 4.17 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 111:37 K:BB across 116.2 innings this season, and he couldn't ask for a softer introduction to the big leagues while going up against the 32-111 White Sox.

The Red Sox optioned Shugart to Triple-A Worcester on Sunday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Shugart was recalled by the Red Sox on Sept. 1, and in his last outing Saturday against the White Sox, he gave up a three-run home run to Andrew Benintendi in the top of the seventh inning. In Triple-A this season, Shugart has a 4.55 ERA and 1.35 WHIP across 65.1 innings. The move makes room for right-hander Richard Fitts, who will start Sunday in his major-league debut against the White Sox.

The Red Sox designated Dalbec for assignment Sunday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Dalbec has been with Triple-A Worcester since June 22. Since then, he has slashed .260/.345/.475 with 11 home runs, 43 RBI and a 36.9 percent strikeout rate across 249 plate appearances with Worcester. Dalbec has hit 47 home runs for the Red Sox over the past four seasons, and if he elects to move on from the organization, he should get interest from teams looking for a lefty-hitting first baseman.