MLB Player News

Carpenter is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Red Sox.

It's a bit odd to see Carpenter absent against an opposing righty starter (Nick Pivetta), although Pivetta has reverse splits this season with an .827 OPS allowed to righties and a .630 OPS allowed to lefties. Regardless, Colt Keith will take over as the designated hitter while Zach McKinstry starts at second, with Matt Vierling in right field and batting third.

The White Sox are expected to recall Iriarte from Double-A Birmingham on Sunday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.

Iriarte, a 22-year-old right-hander, will come up to fill one one of the two openings on the expanded September roster. He is expected to work mostly out of the bullpen after working primarily as a starter at Double-A. Iriarte has gone 5-7 with a 3.71 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 122:57 K:BB across 126 innings for Birmingham this season.

The Orioles are expected to recall Mayo from Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

With rosters set to expand Sunday, Mayo will return to the majors for the stretch run, though he won't be assured everyday playing time. Widely considered one of the top prospects in baseball, Mayo has put together a big year at Triple-A with 22 homers and a .943 OPS in 87 games for Norfolk. His 1-for-17 showing during his first cup of coffee in the big leagues should not dampen enthusiasm long term in dynasty leagues.

The Athletics transferred Andujar (abdomen) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Saturday.

Oakland manager Mark Kotsay had already confirmed earlier this week that Andujar would require season-ending core-muscle surgery, so his move to the 60-day IL is simply procedural. His 40-man roster spot will be given to Janson Junk, who was claimed off waivers from Houston on Saturday.

The Athletics claimed Junk off waivers from the Astros on Saturday.

Junk never appeared in a game for the Astros, and he was designated for assignment Thursday after posting a 6.14 ERA and 1.34 WHIP through 14.2 innings at Triple-A Sugar Land. He'll now presumably return to the majors as he switches organizations, though Junk will likely operate as a low-leverage arm out of the Oakland bullpen. The Athletics moved Miguel Andujar (abdomen) to the 60-day IL to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for Junk.

The Royals claimed Grossman off waivers from the Rangers on Saturday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Grossman was waived by the Rangers on Thursday after posting a .689 OPS across 119 plate appearances with the team, and he'll now head to Kansas City to aid in its playoff push. The 34-year-old will be joined in the Royals' outfield picture by Tommy Pham, who was also claimed off waivers Saturday, and the two veterans will likely compete for time at the corner-outfield and designated-hitter spots.

Diaz (knee) isn't in the Rays' lineup for Saturday's game against the Padres, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

After exiting Friday's game in the fourth inning due to left knee patellar tendinitis, Diaz will take an extra day off to recover. The 33-year-old first baseman said Saturday that his knee still hurts a bit, though his treatment has helped his condition, and he expects to be back in the lineup within the next several days, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. In the meantime, Brandon Lowe will cover first base in Diaz's place while Christopher Morel fields second and Jonathan Aranda serves as the DH.

The Royals claimed Pham off waivers from the Cardinals on Saturday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

The Cardinals designated Pham for assignment Friday after he slashed .206/.286/.368 with two home runs and 12 RBI through 23 games with the team after coming over from the White Sox prior to the trade deadline. He'll now join the Royals for the final stretch of the season and could be a factor in the playoffs as well, as he boasts an .846 OPS through 31 career postseason games.

The Guardians will recall Manzardo from Triple-A Columbus on Sunday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

Manzardo slashed .207/.241/.329 with seven RBI across 87 plate appearances during his first stint in the majors earlier in the season, and he'll now get another chance to prove himself in Cleveland as rosters expand to 28 players Sunday. He'll likely see most of his opportunities as a DH while with the Guardians.

DeJong went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Astros.

DeJong's game-tying homer off Josh Hader in the top of the ninth inning was just the second hit of the game for the Royals. Over his last 13 games, DeJong has gone 14-for-45 (.311) with five homers, three doubles, 10 RBI and 10 runs scored, though he's struck out 19 times in that span. For the year, DeJong is at a .238/.289/.458 slash line with 24 homers, 55 RBI, 52 runs scored, two stolen bases and 17 doubles over 124 games between the Royals and White Sox. His recent results are encouraging, but a continually high strikeout rate makes him prone to regression.