MLB Player News

Moniak is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Moniak has a .560 OPS in eight contests since the All-Star break and will take a seat for Sunday's contest. Kevin Pillar will man center field and bat fifth in the series finale.

Rendon is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the A's, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

It's the second consecutive game on the bench for Rendon, who has gone 5-for-30 in seven contests since the All-Star break. Willie Calhoun will bat cleanup as the designated hitter in the series finale versus Oakland.

Kiermaier was removed from Sunday's game against the Rangers after colliding with the wall in the outfield, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Kiermaier suffered the injury during the top of the sixth inning and initially remained in the contest, but he was lifted in the bottom of the frame after he recorded a two-out single. The veteran outfielder should be considered day-to-day until more information is available.

Gelof is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.

Gelof has a .579 OPS and 32.1 percent strikeout rate over 73 at-bats in July and will sit Sunday for the second consecutive game. Abraham Toro will receive another start at second base Sunday, while Tyler Nevin makes a start at third.

Miranda cleared the preliminary concussion protocol and was diagnosed with a head contusion after being hit by a pitch Sunday against the Tigers, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Miranda was struck in the head by a fastball during the opening inning, and the pitch appeared to hit the ear flap of his helmet. The 26-year-old should be considered day-to-day as he continues to be evaluated, but avoiding a concussion on the initial diagnosis is certainly an encouraging sign for his outlook.

Gray was diagnosed with right groin discomfort after being removed from Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The right-hander never actually threw a pitch in the contest since he suffered the injury while warming up for the opening inning. The severity of the injury is unclear, though it's an encouraging development that he's not dealing with an arm injury.

The Rays acquired Bigge, Ty Johnson and Christopher Morel from the Cubs in exchange for Isaac Paredes on Sunday, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Bigge made his MLB debut earlier in July and allowed one earned run with a 5:2 K:BB in four appearances for Chicago before being returned to the minors. The right-hander has been dominant at the Triple-A level this season with a 0.68 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 20:6 K:BB over 13.1 innings, so he could receive a look with the Rays relatively soon.

The Rays acquired Morel and prospects Hunter Bigge and Ty Johnson in exchange for Isaac Paredes on Sunday, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Morel went 0-for-1 in Sunday's game at Kansas City before being pulled due to the trade. The 25-year-old has a .199/.302/.373 slash line with 18 homers and a 47:102 BB:K in 421 plate appearances this season. Morel's role in Tampa Bay should be similar to the one he had in Chicago, splitting time between third base and designated hitter.

Uceta pitched two shutout innings of relief in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Reds, allowing one hit and zero walks while striking out four. He did not factor into the decision.

Shawn Armstrong opened the game for the Rays, pitching two innings before giving way to Uceta. The 26-year-old Uceta fanned four batters in just two innings of work, headlining a strong performance from the Rays bullpen in which the group struck out nine batters over seven scoreless frames. On his fourth team in four seasons, Uceta has finally found his groove with the Rays, logging a microscopic 0.51 ERA, 0.57 WHIP and 19:3 K:BB in 17.2 innings this season.

Fairbanks notched his 20th save of the season Sunday against the Reds, allowing one hit while striking out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning.

Fairbanks has converted his last 10 save opportunities and is now 20-for-22 on the season. Since his last blown save June 20, the 30-year-old has pitched to a 2.25 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 8:4 K:BB in 12 innings. With fellow reliever Jason Adam being traded to the Padres, Fairbanks should see the vast majority of save chances for the Rays moving forward.