MLB Player News

Chisholm (elbow) was spotted taking grounders at third base prior to Sunday's game against the Tigers, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Chisholm has spoken optimistically about his potential return from the injured list and this signifies a significant step in his recovery. He is also expected to resume swinging a bat soon.

Francis (6-3) allowed three hits and struck out seven without walking a batter over seven shutout innings to earn the win over the Cubs on Sunday.

Joey Loperfido's second-inning home run was all the support Francis needed in this outing. Over his last three outings, Francis has allowed just three runs while posting a 22:1 K:BB across 19 innings. It's relatively newfound success for the 28-year-old, as he did little of note in the first half of the campaign. Francis is at a 4.38 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 58:16 K:BB across 63.2 innings over 21 appearances (seven starts) this season. He's projected for a favorable home start versus the Angels in his next appearance.

Raleigh went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's win against the Pirates.

Raleigh's 27th blast put the first two runs on the board for the Mariners and set the stage for the halting of the team's five-game skid. Raleigh is outpacing all catchers in homers, currently sitting five up on both Kansas City's Salvador Perez and Oakland's Shea Langeliers, though Raleigh's 78 RBI are four shy of Perez's total.

The Angels are expected to select Cueto's contract from Triple-A Salt Lake during the upcoming week, Hector Gomez of Z101Digital.com reports.

Cueto has been pitching with Salt Lake since signing a minor-league deal with the Angels on July 20. Through four starts, he's maintained a 3.09 ERA and 1.37 WHIP while working at least five innings on each occasion. He should slot into the rotation while Jose Soriano (arm) is on the shelf. Wednesday's game in Kansas City looks to be the first chance Cueto will have to make a start in Soriano's stead.

X-rays and an MRI both came back clean on Diaz's forearm after he was forced to exit Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Diaz was hit by a pitch in the first inning and was quickly diagnosed with a bruised forearm. Imaging confirms that he should be considered day-to-day and may not be forced to miss any additional time.

Fairbanks is expected to be placed on the injured list due to a lat strain, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Fairbanks was hit hard in his last outing Friday and blew a save chance, as he served up three hits and two earned runs. Additional reporting from Steve Carney of StPeteNine.com indicates that Fairbanks will undergo an MRI on his right side Monday, after which he will likely be placed on the injured list. The Rays will likely mix and match the closer role in Fairbanks' absence, though Colin Poche and Manuel Rodriguez have most recently worked in high-leverage roles in the bullpen.

Kirby (9-9) earned the win Sunday, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks over six innings against the Pirates. He struck out five.

Kirby scattered just two hits through the first five innings as the Mariners provided the righty a 7-0 cushion. A Joey Bart two-run homer in the sixth was the first and only blemish against Kirby, who contributed his 16th quality start of the season. The 26-year-old righty put a halt to the Mariners' five-game skid, rebounding from allowing career highs in runs (11) and hits (13) against Detroit in his last start to allow two runs or fewer for the 17th time over 25 starts. He'll carry a 3.40 ERA and 1.08 WHIP into a scheduled home matchup next week against the Giants.

Rice is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.

Rice has just one hit through seven games in August and will head to the bench Sunday as lefty Tarik Skubal takes the mound for Detroit. DJ LeMahieu is starting at first base and batting eighth.

Verdugo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.

The 28-year-old started the previous 11 games and will sit Sunday while in the midst of a 2-for-18 slump. Top prospect Jasson Dominguez is up as the 27th man Sunday and is starting in left field, but Verdugo's playing time won't be affected moving forward since Dominguez is set to return to Triple-A after the contest.

Scherzer (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Sunday and is scheduled to pitch again Wednesday, possibly in a rehab start or live batting practice, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The right-hander threw a 25-pitch bullpen session Friday and was quickly back on the mound Sunday, which is encouraging as he makes his return from a bout of shoulder soreness that required a nerve injection. Scherzer last took the mound for Texas in late July, and he could be back in the rotation before the end of August if he can continue trending in the right direction Wednesday.