MLB Player News

Alexander is expected to serve as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Cole Sulser in Wednesday's game against the Twins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Even with Zack Littell returning from the injured list to start Monday's series opener versus Minnesota, the Rays will at least temporarily expand the rotation to six men to include Alexander. Since being recalled from Triple-A Durham on Aug. 17, Alexander has made three appearances, tossing 14.1 innings and striking out 10 while allowing 11 earned runs on 15 hits and five walks.

Loperfido is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

Loperfido was on the bench for consecutive games over the weekend against the Twins, but he had started in both of the previous two contests while going 1-for-8 with four strikeouts. Since being acquired from the Astros in late July, Loperfido is slashing just .198/.232/.363 with a 34.7 percent strikeout rate, and his ongoing struggles appear to have started to cost him playing time. Davis Schneider will replace Loperfido in left field Wednesday.

Barger (knee) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

Barger went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in Tuesday's 10-9 loss to the Phillies but left the contest early with left knee discomfort. With the Blue Jays and Phillies wrapping up their series with a day game after a night game, Barger will unsurprisingly find himself on the bench. With a team off day on tap Thursday, he'll have two full days to recover from the knee injury before potentially returning to the lineup for Friday's series opener in Atlanta.

Lowe went 1-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases Tuesday against the Twins.

Lowe continues to be aggressive on the basepaths, as 11 of his 21 stolen bases have come in his last 22 games. His all-around performance has also improved after an injury-plagued first half, as he's maintained a .291 average with four homers, 16 RBI and 16 runs scored across 38 contests since the All-Star break.

Aranda went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored Tuesday against the Twins.

Aranda was in the lineup at first base and made his second start in five games since being recalled. So long as the Rays' infield remains healthy, it appears that Aranda will struggle to get consistent playing time. He's gone 2-for-10 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored since being recalled.

The Royals outrighted Nola to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.

Nola cleared waivers after being removed from the 40-man roster and will remain in the organization as catching depth. The 34-year-old has spent all of 2024 at Omaha, slashing just .158/.247/.301 line in 46 games.

Uceta allowed two hits and struck out two across two-thirds of an inning Tuesday against the Twins.

Uceta was called upon to protect a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning. He allowed consecutive singles to lead off the frame, but he struck out the next two batters he faced before being pulled in favor of Garrett Cleavinger. Despite losing out on a save chance, Uceta has still been excellent since Pete Fairbanks (lat) went on the injured list, racking up an 11:1 K:BB across 5.2 innings while recording a save, a hold and a win.

Crawford (8-13) took the loss Tuesday, giving up two runs on one hit and two walks over six innings as the Red Sox were downed 7-2 by the Mets. He struck out eight.

The right-hander made only one real mistake, but Francisco Lindor drove it deep to right field for a two-run homer in the third inning, and Boston never recovered. Crawford has lost four straight trips to the mound, but the fault lies mainly with the Red Sox offense -- he's posted a 3.52 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 18:7 K:BB in 23 innings over that stretch. Tuesday's quality start was his second straight and 13th of the year. Crawford will try to get back in the win column in his next outing, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Orioles.

Guerrero went 4-for-5 with a double, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 10-9 loss to the Phillies.

The first baseman led a 16-hit barrage for the Blue Jays and added his 28th homer of the season off Taijuan Walker in the sixth inning, but it wasn't enough. Guerrero is once again one of the hottest hitters in the majors, racking up seven multi-hit performance over his last nine contests while slashing .500/.550/.806 over that stretch with five doubles, two home runs, eight runs and eight RBI.

Green (4-5) blew the save and took the loss Tuesday as the Blue Jays fell 10-9 to the Phillies, coughing up three runs on three hits over two-thirds of an inning. He struck out two.

Toronto held 6-1 and 8-4 leads earlier in the game, but Green completed the collapse by allowing three straight hits to begin the ninth inning, the last of which was a three-run homer by Kyle Schwarber. Green has served up a three-run blast in back-to-back appearances while blowing consecutive save chances, sending his ERA soaring from 1.61 to 2.72, but those were his first two blown saves of the season. The Jays don't have a clear alternative at closer unless Jordan Romano (elbow) is able to make it back in September, so Green should get a chance to work through his struggles.