MLB Player News

DeLuca will start in left field and bat sixth in Thursday's game against the Twins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 25-year-old will draw his third consecutive start against a right-handed pitcher (Simeon Woods Richardson), but after going 1-for-8 with a walk in the previous two contests, he'll probably need to pick up the pace at the plate to ensure he continues seeing regular playing time. DeLuca made some waves by producing three two-hit games in his first five starts when he returned from the injured list May 3, but he's slashing just .102/.202/.170 from May 8 onward.

McFarland recorded his ninth hold in a win over the Royals on Wednesday, retiring the only batter he faced.

McFarland closed out the sixth inning for Luis Medina by retiring Adam Frazier on a flyout to left that left Nick Loftin stranded at first base. The veteran southpaw reliever has been outstanding since early May, recording a 1.17 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and four holds across 15.1 innings over his last 18 appearances. However, the fact he's typically used in middle relief usually limits McFarland to the occasional hold opportunity and leaves him with minimal fantasy appeal.

Schuemann went 0-for-2 with three walks and a run in a win over the Royals on Wednesday.

Schuemann's busy night on the basepaths surprisingly led to only one run, but it did push his OBP back up to an improving .318. The rookie has hit safely in three of the last four games, and his walk rate has now hit double digits (10.1 percent) after also sitting at that threshold in each of the last six minor-league stops before his promotion.

Rooker went 2-for-3 with two RBI singles and a walk in a win over the Royals on Wednesday.

Rooker's timely hitting led to two of the Athletics' five runs, with the veteran driving home JJ Bleday in the third and seventh innings with his pair of singles. Rooker has now hit safely in eight of his last 10 games, but a 42.9 percent strikeout rate has helped lead to a lackluster .211/.262/.368 slash line in that same span.

Cabbage is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the White Sox, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Chas McCormick will get the nod in right field Thursday, and he and Cabbage have now picked up six starts apiece at the position since Kyle Tucker bruised his right shin earlier this month and eventually landed on the injured list. Houston should continue to deploy a timeshare between the lefty-hitting Cabbage and the righty-hitting McCormick at the position until Tucker is back in action, but manager Joe Espada doesn't seem to be running a strict platoon.

Alvarez (personal) will serve as the Astros' designated hitter and No. 3 batter in Thursday's game against the White Sox, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez was away from the Astros for the last two days to tend to a family matter, but he caught a flight back to Chicago and rejoined the team in time for the series finale with the White Sox. Before his brief absence, Alvarez had been sizzling at the plate in June, producing a monstrous 1.212 OPS over 14 games on the month.

Palacios is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game in Minnesota, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Palacios typically starts against right-handers, but he'll end up sitting against a righty (Simeon Woods Richardson) for the second time in three contests. The 27-year-old has gone just 4-for-35 at the plate so far in June.

Walls is out of the lineup for Thursday's contest in Minnesota, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Walls started six of eight games at shortstop after returning from the injured list June 7 but has now been in the lineup just once over the last five tilts, though he was battling an illness for some of that time. Jose Caballero will cover shortstop Thursday in Walls' stead.

Lee is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros.

Lee will cede the catching duties to Martin Maldonado for Thursday's day game after starting behind the plate in Wednesday night's 4-1 loss while going 2-for-4 with a pair of base hits. The 25-year-old backstop has gotten off to a poor start to June, slashing .185/.241/.296 through 15 games.

DeJong is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros.

He'll receive a breather for the day game after a night game, opening up a turn at shortstop for Nicky Lopez. DeJong had started each of the White Sox's previous 21 games and was one of the team's most productive hitters over that stretch, batting .235 with 11 extra-base hits (seven home runs, four doubles), 12 RBI and 10 runs.