MLB Player News

Jeffers is not in the lineup for Friday's game versus the White Sox.

He and Christian Vazquez continue to alternate starts at catcher, doing so now for the 14th straight game. Jeffers has just a .561 OPS since the beginning of June.

The Orioles selected Mayo's contract from Triple-A Norfolk on Friday.

The 22-year-old is joining Baltimore for his first look in the big leagues after Jordan Westburg suffered a fractured right hand Wednesday. Mayo will make his MLB debut Friday in Cleveland, starting at third base and batting eighth. He's one of the top prospects in baseball and has a .301/.375/.586 slash line with 20 homers in 77 games at Triple-A this season.

Isbel is absent from the lineup for Friday's contest versus the Tigers.

The left-handed hitting Isbel had started each of the previous five games, but he'll begin this one on the bench versus southpaw Tarik Skubal. Garrett Hampson is handling center field for the Royals.

Melendez is not in the lineup for Friday's game in Detroit.

Melendez didn't start Thursday against a right-hander and will now begin Friday's contest on the bench as the Tigers send southpaw Tarik Skubal to the hill. Dairon Blanco will patrol left field.

Massey is absent from the lineup for Friday's game in Detroit.

Ace left-hander Tarik Skubal is toeing the rubber for the Tigers, so it makes sense for Massey to be sitting this one out. Vinnie Pasquantino is getting a start at designated hitter while Salvador Perez occupies first base.

The Rays placed Palacios on the 10-day injured list Friday with a right knee sprain, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Palacios suffered the injury in Wednesday's loss to the Marlins. The severity of the sprain hasn't been revealed, so it's not clear at this point how long the super utility player might be sidelined. Kameron Misner is absorbing Palacios' spot on the Rays' roster.

Dingler is not in the lineup for Friday's contest against the Royals, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Since his promotion, Dingler has now started two of six games, with Jake Rogers getting the call behind the plate for the other four. The rookie catcher is 1-for-6 with a 3:1 K:BB in his first seven major-league plate appearances.

The White Sox claimed Varland off waivers and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.

The right-hander was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Tuesday, and the White Sox utilized their No. 1 spot in the waiver order to bolster their relief depth. Varland allowed two earned runs over six innings for Los Angeles but has struggled to a 7.99 ERA in 28 outings at Triple-A this year.

The Astros claimed Junk off waivers from the Brewers on Friday and optioned him to Triple-A Sugar Land, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Junk has allowed six runs in eight innings in the majors this season but holds a 2.55 ERA and 35:15 K:BB across 35.1 frames at the Triple-A level. He's been pitching in relief exclusively since May, but Junk does have extensive starting pitcher experience and it's not clear what role the Astros have planned for him.

Bradford could make a spot start Saturday against the Red Sox, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The Rangers will likely turn to Bradford or Dane Dunning for the start, or they could deploy the two in a piggyback arrangement if neither is needed in relief during Friday's game. Bradford returned from a long stint on the injured list earlier this week and was roughed up for five earned runs in two innings in a relief outing Tuesday.