MLB Player News

Kirk isn't in the Blue Jays' lineup for Saturday's game against the Angels.

Kirk will get a breather after recording four hits and three RBI through the first two games of the series. Brian Serven will start behind the plate instead and bat ninth.

The Twins designated Okert for assignment Saturday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Okert will lose his spot in the Twins' bullpen after posting a 5.09 ERA and 1.50 WHIP across 35.1 innings on the season. Scott Blewett was promoted from Triple-A St. Paul to fill the open roster spot.

The Twins selected Blewett's contract from Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Blewett elected free agency after being DFA'd by the Twins on Aug. 13 but eventually re-signed with the club on a minor-league deal last Saturday. The right-hander will now return to Minnesota's bullpen to replace Steven Okert, who was DFA'd in a corresponding move.

Whitcomb went 1-for-2 with two walks Friday against the Orioles.

Whitcomb was originally called up to replace Alex Bregman in the lineup, but his defensive versatility has allowed him to see consistent playing time -- most recently filling in for Yordan Alvarez (neck) on Friday. Whitcomb has now started seven straight games and has gotten on base at a .423 clip while striking out at just a 19.2 percent clip across his first 26 plate appearances in the majors.

Weaver picked up a hold against the Rockies on Friday, walking one batter and striking out one in a scoreless inning of work.

After Carlos Rodon started and gave New York six scoreless frames, Weaver followed in the seventh and worked around a two-out walk to keep the shutout going. The hold was the righty reliever's team-leading 21st of the campaign after he entered the season without any holds over eight years that were mostly spent as a starter. Weaver has recorded five consecutive scoreless outings following a five-run implosion in a loss against Texas on Aug. 10.

Altuve went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run Friday against the Orioles.

Altuve had one home run in July, but he went deep for the third time in his last 13 games Friday. He also has three stolen bases across 19 starts in August, and his 18 steals for the season match his highest mark since 2017.

Manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that LeMahieu's condition has improved and he's cleared concussion protocol, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

LeMahieu was scratched from the Yankees' lineup Friday after taking a ball off his face during pregame warmups, though he escaped with just bruising. He'll remain out of the lineup for Saturday's contest but should be able to return to action within the next few days.

Judge went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Friday in a 3-0 win against Colorado.

Judge went deep off Kyle Freeland in the sixth inning to extend his streak of games with at least one long ball to four. The slugger is now one homer shy of reaching 50 for the third time in his career -- he'll be the fifth player in MLB history to accomplish that feat, joining Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez. Judge is on pace for 62 home runs this season, which would tie the AL record he established in 2022.

Stanton isn't in the Yankees' lineup for Saturday's game against the Rockies.

After recording a home run in back-to-back games, Stanton will now get a breather against Bradley Blalock and the Rockies. Aaron Judge will fill in as New York's designated hitter while Trent Grisham starts in center field.

Butler went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Friday's 11-3 loss to the Brewers.

He drove the second pitch he saw from Aaron Civale deep to right-center field, giving the A's an early 1-0 lead, but things unraveled quickly for Oakland after that. Butler has cooled down significantly in August, slashing .203/.250/.359 through 19 games, but on the season the 24-year-old still sports a .760 OPS with 14 homers and 11 steals in 95 contests.