MLB Player News

Clement will start at third base and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Astros.

Clement wasn't in the Blue Jays' initial lineup, but he'll get his third straight start after he was a late addition in place of Vladimir Guerrero (finger), who was scratched. Guerrero is considered day-to-day, and once he's able to rejoin the lineup, Clement will likely return to his usual bench role.

Guerrero was scratched from the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros due to right fourth/fifth finger discomfort, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Guerrero was hit in the right hand by a pitch in the third inning Sunday's 8-1 loss to the Yankees and was ultimately removed from the contest in the bottom of the eighth. While he was initially slated to play Monday in the series opener versus the Astros, some lingering soreness will ultimately prevent him from doing so. X-rays on the hand returned negative, and Guerrero is considered day-to-day. Ernie Clement will enter the lineup as a replacement for Guerrero, manning third base and batting ninth.

Drury (illness) went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in a loss to Detroit on Sunday.

Drury sat out nine straight games due to an illness before returning to action Sunday. He didn't start but entered as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning and remained in the contest for another at-bat as the team's DH. Per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, Drury is expected to return to the starting lineup Tuesday against the Athletics.

Speier (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

The left-hander was able to throw off a mound Saturday without issue, and he'll continue advancing in his recovery with Tuesday's session. Speier may need to throw only a couple of bullpen sessions before he's deemed ready for a rehab assignment, although further clarity should be gleaned following Tuesday's activity.

Crawford went 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in a loss to to the Twins on Sunday.

Crawford reached safely for the 10th straight game with his single, pushing his average to a solid .263 over that span. The stolen base was Crawford's fourth of the season, his highest total since the 2020 campaign. While the veteran shortstop's current stretch of hitting is easily his most productive of the season, Crawford is still sitting on a .215 average and .674 OPS across 61 games.

Singleton will start at first base and bat fifth in Monday's game against the Blue Jays, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Singleton looks to have indirectly overtaken Joey Loperfido for a regular spot in Houston's typical lineup versus right-handed pitching. Though Mauricio Dubon had been poaching playing time from Singleton at first base, Dubon has now made his last three starts at second base, left field and right field while Singleton has covered first base in each of those contests and Loperfido has been on the bench. Singleton closed June on a high note, going 7-for-16 with a home run, a walk, four RBI and two additional runs over his last five games.

Polanco went 1-for-4 with an RBI single and a stolen base in a loss to the Twins on Sunday.

Polanco came through with a clutch knock against his former team in the seventh inning, plating Luke Raley to knot the score at 3-3. The veteran infielder, who's now hit safely in four straight, also added his second steal of the campaign, but he couldn't capitalize on another RBI opportunity in the ninth when he left the bases loaded on a game-ending flyout.

Garcia (elbow) threw a bullpen session Sunday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The reliever will throw another bullpen session Wednesday before the next steps in his rehab program are determined. Garcia has missed just two weeks with a nerve issue in his right elbow, so it's possible he'll skip a rehab assignment and return from the 15-day injured list whenever the Blue Jays feel that he's ready. With Jordan Romano (elbow) out indefinitely, Garcia should be back in the mix for saves once he returns, perhaps even as the club's top option. Chad Green has been serving as Toronto's closer since Garcia landed on the IL but hasn't received any save chances during that stretch.

Rodriguez went 1-for-5 with a stolen base in a loss to the Twins on Sunday.

Rodriguez's hit was only his second in the last 31 plate appearances, a seven-game span where the talented outfielder has generated an anemic .069 average and .198 OPS. The multi-game skid has temporarily erased a lot of the progress Rodriguez had made after a slow start to the season, as his slash line has dropped to a middling .247/.297/.327. However, there are underlying metrics that suggest Rodriguez is running into some tough luck as well -- he owns an expected batting average and slugging percentage of .272 and .434, respectively, and he's also boasting a career-best 21.7 percent line-drive rate.

Moniak went 2-for-4 with a run and a stolen base in Sunday's loss to the Tigers.

Moniak was hitless with nine strikeouts over 13 at-bats across his previous four games coming into Sunday but got back on track with a pair of singles. The outfielder also recorded his fifth stolen base of the season and his first since June 9. Moniak finished June with a .237/.310/.408 slash line, two homers, 14 RBI, 10 runs and three steals over 24 games.