MLB Player News

Schmidt (lat) is expected to be cleared to throw live batting practice soon, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

Schmidt is moving along slowly but surely in his throwing program as he works his way back from a right lat strain. The hurler will need to face hitters at least a couple times before being cleared for a rehab assignment. He's still several weeks away from a return but is progressing well.

LeMahieu will start at first base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

After being held out of the lineup for each of the last four games, LeMahieu will draw back into the starting nine for the series finale in Philadelphia. He'll be filling in at first base for the left-handed-hitting Ben Rice, who takes a seat while the Phillies send lefty Cristopher Sanchez to the hill. LeMahieu looks like he'll have to settle for a short-side platoon role moving forward while he's slashed just .194/.279/.255 against right-handed pitching so far this season.

The Rays optioned Shenton to Triple-A Durham on Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Shenton was up in the majors for one day and didn't see any action. He'll head to Durham to clear room on the 26-man active roster for Dylan Carlson, who was acquired Tuesday via trade from the Cardinals.

Polanco went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an RBI double and two additional runs scored during Tuesday's 10-6 win over the Red Sox.

Polanco lifted his 10th homer of the season Tuesday, tagging James Paxton for a solo shot in the fourth inning. The second baseman has been hot at the plate, clubbing four homers in his last five games and going a combined 7-for-19 with eight RBI and eight runs scored during that stretch. On the year, Polanco has recorded career worsts in OPS (.649) and strikeout rate (30.5 percent).

Wells is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

Wells will get some rest for the day game after he went 0-for-6 with three strikeouts and a run scored while catching all 12 innings of the Yankees' 7-6 win Tuesday night. Carlos Narvaez will step in behind the plate in place of Wells.

Vargas went 0-for-4 in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Royals.

Vargas made his debut with the White Sox after being traded from the Dodgers on Monday. He served as the designated hitter and hit second in the lineup. The White Sox could eventually have Vargas see time at third base, second base or in the corner outfield, and the final two months of the campaign should offer him the opportunity for his most consistent playing time in the majors.

Devers went 3-for-5 with a three-run home run, a double, an RBI single and an additional run scored during Tuesday's 10-6 loss to the Mariners.

Devers got the Red Sox on the scoreboard in the third inning, tagging Luis Castillo for a three-run home run. The third baseman has been on a tear to close July, going 14-for-27 with six doubles, a triple and a homer in his last seven games. The hot streak has brought Devers' batting average above .300, and his 24 homers are tied for ninth in baseball.

Rutschman is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Rutschman will get a breather for the matinee game after going 1-for-8 in the last two games of the series. James McCann will draw the start at catcher for the Orioles.

Rice is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

The left-handed-hitting Rice will take a seat for the series finale while the Phillies send southpaw Cristopher Sanchez to the bump. Rice will put a four-game hitting streak on hold and give way to DJ LeMahieu at first base.

Lopez went 2-for-3 with a triple, two runs scored and a walk Tuesday against the Royals.

Lopez led off for the third straight contest and has tallied at least one hit on each occasion while scoring three runs. He has just a .049 ISO across 320 plate appearances for the season, though he has only a 14.7 percent strikeout rate and a 7.7 percent walk rate. If Lopez sticks as the leadoff hitter, he could be a decent source of runs for the final two months of the campaign.