MLB Player News

The Twins announced Buxton (undisclosed) has been medically cleared and was removed from Sunday's game against the White Sox for precautionary reasons after a collision with the outfield wall, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports. He went 1-for-2 with a double, a walk and two runs prior to departing.

The 30-year-old was slow to get up after he made a leaping catch into the wall to end the sixth inning, but he may have been pulled from the contest regardless since Minnesota was holding a five-run lead. Still, it's worth keeping an eye on Buxton's status heading into Monday's series opener versus the Cubs given his injury history.

Carter (back) said Sunday that he doesn't expect to require surgery and hopes to resume swinging a bat in 9-to-10 weeks, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Rangers general manager Chris Young said earlier this week that Carter was unlikely to make it back from the 60-day injured list before the regular season ends Sept. 29. Based on the timeline he provided for himself to resume swinging the bat, Carter already seems to be ruling himself out for the postseason, barring the Rangers making another trip to the World Series to extend their playoff run into late October and early November. After his star turn in the 2023 playoffs, Carter was tabbed as a leading contender for the 2024 American League Rookie of the Year award, but the 21-year-old slashed a lowly .188/.272/.361 in 162 plate appearances for Texas before being placed on the injured list May 28 with a lower-back stress reaction. Carter should still have an everyday role waiting for him in 2025, assuming he makes a full recovery from the back injury over the winter.

Buxton was removed from Sunday's game against the White Sox due to an apparent injury after making a leaping catch into the wall in center field during the sixth inning, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Buxton was slow to get up after making the catch but was able to leave the field under his own power. The 30-year-old went 1-for-2 with a double, a walk and two runs before departing the contest. The Twins should provide an update in the near future, but for now Buxton should be considered day-to-day.

Francis is listed as the Blue Jays' scheduled starting pitcher for Wednesday's home game against the Orioles, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Though trade-deadline pickup Ryan Yarbrough could eventually get a look in the Blue Jays rotation, he'll begin his time with Toronto as a reliever, which paves the way for Francis to stick around as the club's No. 5 starter. Francis was called up from Triple-A Buffalo on Monday and proceeded to start in the second game of the Blue Jays' twin bill in Baltimore. He fell just shy of a quality start with three earned runs allowed over 5.2 innings, and he'll head into the rematch with the Orioles with a 5.68 ERA and 1.44 WHIP across 44.1 frames at the big-league level this season.

Diaz had X-rays come back negative and was diagnosed with a bruised left wrist after exiting Sunday's 1-0 win over the Astros, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

The first baseman initially attempted to stay in the game after being struck by a 109.8 mile-per-hour grounder off the bat of Yordan Alvarez but was ultimately removed from the contest. Diaz went 1-for-2 with a walk before leaving the game. He avoided a fracture and should be considered day-to-day heading into Tuesday's series opener at St. Louis.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Sunday that it's "pretty safe to say" McCullers (forearm) won't be activated from the 60-day injured list this season, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

McCullers underwent surgery last June to repair his right flexor tendon and remove a bone spur and had been hopeful to return to the Astros around the middle of the season. After progressing to throwing bullpen sessions in May, McCullers had his rehab program shut down in July and received a second opinion from doctors. Though McCullers was diagnosed with no new structural damage to his elbow, the recent setback he had a few weeks ago will be enough to slow him down and take a 2024 return off the table. The 30-year-old hasn't pitched for the Astros since the 2022 World Series, and he had already missed the entire 2019 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. McCullers remains on Houston's books through 2026 after signing a five-year, $85 million extension in March 2021.

Manager Alex Cora said Sunday that Martin (elbow) could be instated from the 15-day injured list Wednesday rather than being sent on a rehab assignment, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

The veteran right-hander threw 35 pitches during a bullpen session Saturday, and he felt good enough to give him a chance of skipping a rehab assignment. Martin has been on the shelf for the past month due to elbow inflammation.

Rendon (back) was spotted fielding groundballs Sunday and is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list when first eligible Tuesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The 34-year-old hasn't seen game action since July 26 due to lower-back inflammation, but he's poised to rejoin the active roster after spending the 10-day minimum on the IL. Rendon had been serving as the Angels' leadoff hitter prior to the injury, but he won't immediately reclaim that role once reinstated.

Verlander (neck) threw 37 pitches in a two-inning simulated game Sunday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Verlander said that he felt good during the sim game and sported a fastball that peaked at 94 miles per hour. The right-hander expects to require two minor-league rehab starts before making his return from the 15-day injured list, so he probably won't be a realistic option for the Houston rotation until the second half of August. The Astros plan to expand their rotation to six men once Verlander comes off the IL, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.

Garver is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

After going 0-for-16 over a stretch of four starts from July 13 through July 22, Garver went 3-for-3 with two walks July 26 against the White Sox, only to endure another 0-for-16 showing over a four-game stretch. Garver had started in three of the Mariners' previous four games, but his ongoing slump will likely begin to cost him more playing time.