MLB Player News

McKinstry will start at shortstop and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Giants.

McKinstry will be filling in for a resting Javier Baez on Sunday, but the 29-year-old McKinstry could begin to gain more traction in a regular role in the outfield after Wenceel Perez (oblique) joined Riley Greene (hamstring) on the injured list Saturday. The utility man is included in the lineup Sunday for the sixth time in seven games and has picked up starts at shortstop, second base, third base and in left field during that stretch. He's getting on base at a .348 clip since the beginning of August.

Vilade is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Vilade had started in right field in each of the past three games, but he went hitless with five strikeouts in nine at-bats and is now slashing .178/.208/.244 over 49 plate appearances with the Tigers on the season. With Matt Vierling (back) returning to the lineup at designated hitter Sunday and likely to return to the outfield in the near future, Vilade will likely return to a reserve role.

Baez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Baez started the past two games after dealing with some neck soreness, but he'll exit the starting nine for Sunday's series finale in San Francisco. His .638 OPS through eight games in August is actually an improvement on his .499 OPS for the season. Zach McKinstry is starting at shortstop and batting seventh.

Dingler will start at catcher and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Giants.

Dingler will pick up a second straight start and could see the larger portion of the work behind the plate while fellow backstop Jake Rogers has fallen into a skid at the plate over his last seven contests (1-for-23, 11 strikeouts). Though he hasn't been especially productive in his own right since getting called up on July 29 (.150 average, .477 OPS through 22 plate appearances), Dingler turned in a .938 OPS over a larger sample of 71 games at Triple-A Toledo and would seem to bring more upside to the table.

Poteet (tricep) threw 25 pitches in a live batting practice session Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Poteet has now faced hitters on two occasions as he looks to return from the right tricep strain that has kept him on the shelf since mid-June. The righty reliever is on the 60-day injured list and is eligible to be activated Aug. 17, but he's likely tracking toward a return at some point after that, as he'll need to pitch in at least a couple minor-league contests beforehand. Assuming he doesn't have any setbacks, a return to the Yankees by the end of August seems probable, but he'll likely have to settle for a bullpen role after previously starting in all four of his appearances for the big club.

Rogers is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Rogers is on the bench for the second day in a row while the Tigers go with Dillon Dingler behind the dish. The back-to-back absences from the lineup come while Rogers has gone just 1-for-23 with 11 strikeouts over his last seven games.

Schmidt (lat) threw 25 pitches in a live batting practice session Saturday, MLB.com reports.

The live BP session was Schmidt's second of week and represented a slight step up from Tuesday, when he tossed 20 pitches. Schmidt appears to be slowly increasing the volume of his sessions, as he's next slated to toss 30 pitches in another live batting practice Wednesday. After that, he could head out on a minor-league rehab assignment.

Paxton was diagnosed with a right calf strain after exiting Sunday's start against the Astros, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Paxton suffered the injury during the opening frame of Sunday's contest, as he recorded two outs and allowed two hits on five pitches before departing. The severity of the strain isn't yet known, but the initial diagnosis is still an encouraging development given how difficult a time the 35-year-old had leaving the field after the injury. According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, Paxton was sporting crutches after the game and is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday, which could indicate that he's headed to the injured list.

The Twins optioned Varland to Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday.

Varland was sent back to St. Paul after he served as the 27th man for the Twins' doubleheader Saturday versus the Guardians. He started and took a no-decision in the Twins' 6-3 win in the second game of the twin bill, striking out four over 4.2 innings while allowing three earned runs on eight hits and no walks. Though he's now off the 26-man active roster, Varland will be eligible to be recalled during the upcoming week and could be a candidate to make a start Wednesday versus the Royals or Thursday versus the Rangers. Minnesota has a need for a new fifth starter with Joe Ryan (shoulder) recently joining Chris Paddack (forearm) on the injured list.

Vierling (back) will bat leadoff as the Tigers' designated hitter Sunday against the Giants.

The 27-year-old sat out the past two games after he exited Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Mariners due to lower-back spasms, but he'll return to action Sunday in a non-defensive role. Vierling is batting .333 through six games in August but is in the midst of a 14-game home-run drought.