MLB Player News

Naylor is out of the lineup for the first game of Monday's doubleheader with the Royals.

Austin Hedges will draw the start at catcher for the early game while the Royals send a lefty (Cole Ragans) to the hill. Right-hander Alec Marsh is starting for Kansas City in the nightcap, so expect the lefty-hitting Naylor to settle back in behind the dish for that contest.

DeJong is out of the lineup for the first game of Monday's doubleheader with the Guardians.

Maikel Garcia will step in at third base while DeJong heads to the bench for the opening game of the twin bill. Since being acquired from the White Sox on July 30, DeJong has slashed an impressive .280/.339/.520 over 17 games with the Royals, which has resulted in him poaching some playing time in the infield from Garcia and Michael Massey.

Frazier is out of the lineup for the first game of Monday's doubleheader versus the Guardians.

The lefty-hitting Frazier has been gaining traction of late in the Royals' regular lineup against right-handed pitching, but he'll take a seat for the first contest of the twin bill. Right-hander Nick Sandlin is opening the game for the Guardians, but lefty Joey Cantillo is likely to take over on the mound by the time that Frazier's turn in the lower third of the batting order would have come up. The right-handed-hitting Tyler Gentry will thus pick up the start in right field in Frazier's stead.

The Royals recalled Marsh from Triple-A Omaha on Monday.

Marsh will draw a spot start in the second game of Monday's doubleheader in Cleveland. The right-hander is serving as the 27th man on the roster and is likely to be sent back down to Triple-A following the outing. Marsh has posted a 4.71 ERA and 93:32 K:BB covering 101.1 innings for Kansas City in 2024.

The Royals optioned Zerpa to Triple-A Omaha on Monday.

Zerpa leads Kansas City with 53 appearances this season and has pitched well for the bulk of the campaign, but in August, he's turned in a 9.82 ERA and 4:8 K:BB in 7.1 frames. Daniel Lynch was called up from Triple-A to take Zerpa's spot in the bullpen.

The Royals recalled Lynch from Triple-A Omaha on Monday.

Lynch will be available to eat some innings out of the bullpen during Monday's doubleheader in Cleveland. The left-hander has made three starts and two relief appearances in the majors this season, collecting a 6.35 ERA and 15:8 K:BB over 22.2 innings.

DeLuca went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's loss to the Dodgers.

DeLuca was the lone bright spot in a disappointing offensive day for the Rays and provided their only run on a solo blast in the seventh. It's been a rough month overall for DeLuca, but he's now hit safely in four straight games and has reached a total of six times over the last two games while driving in three. For the year, he's slashing .190/.262/.304 with four homers, 26 RBI, 18 runs, 13 steals and a 21:63 BB:K in 273 plate appearances.

Lopez came away with a no-decision Sunday against the Dodgers, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out six over five innings.

Lopez impressed in a road spot start against one of baseball's best lineups, limiting the Dodgers to a lot of weak contact and generating a fair share of whiffs with his slider. He blanked the home squad through four innings before Enrique Hernandez took him deep in the fifth for the game's first run, but the Rays were able to take Lopez off the hook for the loss. The southpaw presumably will be optioned back to Triple-A Durham with Erasmo Ramirez set to be called up Monday, but Lopez could see another stint in the majors over the final month if an injury opens up a role for him.

Lugo (14-8) allowed six runs (five earned) on 11 hits and a walk over 5.1 innings Sunday, striking out three and taking a loss against the Phillies.

Lugo gave up three runs through five innings before being charged with three more in the sixth. He was one of the top pitchers in the league for the first few months but has unraveled over the last several weeks. Lugo registered a 2.21 ERA over his first 19 starts and gave up more than three runs in just three of those outings. Since then, he's yielded at least four runs in five of his last eight appearances, driving his ERA up to 3.19 through 172 frames. Lugo is 3-6 with a 5.30 ERA since the start of July. He's projected to take the mound in Houston for his next outing.

Texas manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday that Scherzer (shoulder) remains in a "holding pattern," MLB.com reports.

Bochy said Scherzer met with a team physician on Friday, but did not have any details to offer regarding the meeting. Earlier in the week, Bochy indicated that the pitcher is "just not ready" and that appears to be the situation at this time. The Rangers will continue to evaluate Scherzer regularly over the final month of the season.