MLB Player News

Judge went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 2-0 victory over the Rays.

With the game still scoreless in the bottom of the ninth, Judge came to the plate following a Trent Grisham walk and launched an opposite-field, walk-off homer off Kevin Kelly. It's the first home run in 12 games for Judge, who'd been slumping mightily coming into the day, going just 1-for-23 in his prior six contests. Overall, Judge is slashing .250/.379/.557 with 17 homers (tied for second-most in the majors) with 32 RBI, 41 runs scored and five stolen bases across 234 plate appearances this year.

Gore (lat) will start Sunday's series finale versus the Angels in Anaheim, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Gore looked to be at risk of landing on the injured list after he lasted just one inning in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Rockies before leaving due to left lat tightness, but an MRI cleared him of any major damage. The southpaw was able to play catch a few days later and appears to have checked out fine, setting the stage for him to return to the hill on five days' rest. The Rangers may look to keep Gore's workload in check Sunday as a matter of caution, though manager Skip Schumaker hasn't explicitly said that the 27-year-old will be on a limited pitch count.

The Tigers designated Seabold for assignment Sunday.

Seabold will give up his spot on the 40-man roster to right-hander Troy Melton (elbow), who was reinstated from the 60-day injured list to start the second game of Sunday's doubleheader in Baltimore. Through 11 relief appearances with the Tigers this season, Seabold has posted a 3.45 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB in 15.2 innings. If Seabold isn't claimed off waivers, he'll have the option of electing free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Toledo.

Keith is out of the lineup for the second game of Sunday's doubleheader versus the Orioles.

Keith started at first base in the Tigers' 5-3 loss in Game 1, finishing 1-for-2 with an RBI. With lefty Trevor Rogers starting for the Orioles in the nightcap, Keith will retreat to the bench while Spencer Torkelson re-enters the starting nine at first base.

McKinstry is out of the lineup for the second game of Sunday's doubleheader versus the Orioles.

After going 0-for-3 with a walk as the Tigers' leadoff batter in a 5-3 loss earlier in the day, the left-handed-hitting McKinstry will take a seat for the nightcap while the Orioles send southpaw Trevor Rogers to the bump. Hao-Yu Lee will enter the starting nine in place of McKinstry, covering second base while batting eighth.

The Tigers reinstated Melton (elbow) from the 60-day injured list and will have him start the second game of Sunday's doubleheader in Baltimore.

Detroit designated right-hander Connor Seabold for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Melton, who will be making his 2026 debut with the Tigers after spending the first two months of the season on the shelf while recovering from a right elbow strain. Melton showed little sign of rust over his four-start rehab assignment (three with Single-A Lakeland, one with Triple-A Toledo), compiling a 1.54 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 16:2 K:BB over 11.2 innings. The 25-year-old right-hander finished the 2025 season as a reliever for Detroit but should be in line for a longer-term look in the big-league rotation this time around while the Tigers wait for the likes of Tarik Skubal (elbow) and Justin Verlander (hip) to return from the IL. Melton covered 63 pitches and five innings in his final rehab start, so he could face some light workload restrictions during Sunday's outing.

Valdez allowed one run on two hits across six innings of work and did not factor into the decision in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Orioles. He walked two and struck out five.

Valdez allowed a solo home run to Gunnar Henderson in the sixth inning but was otherwise unblemished Sunday. He was at 92 pitches after six innings and maybe could have come back for the seventh, but Detroit turned to its bullpen, which ultimately blew a lead and cost Valdez his third win of the season. It was still an encouraging effort for the lefty, who had allowed 16 runs (13 earned) in 14.2 innings across his last three appearances. This is more what the Tigers expected when they inked Valdez to a three-year, $115 million contract in the offseason, but he's been mostly pedestrian with a 4.28 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 50 strikeouts across 61 innings this year. He'll look to build on this performance in his next outing, which is tentatively scheduled for Friday against the White Sox on the road.

Jansen (1-3) allowed three runs on a hit and two walks across an inning of work to blow the save and take the loss in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Orioles.

With Baltimore mounting a rally in the bottom of the eighth inning, Jansen was called on with two outs to face Pete Alonso. The veteran reliever got the slugger out on three pitches, but he had a much harder time when he came back out for the ninth. Jansen walked two batters before allowing a walkoff, three-run home run to Colton Cowser in a 5-3 loss. The setback was Jansen's fourth blown save already in 11 opportunities this year, and it raised his ERA from 3.38 to 5.02. Jansen is third all time and leads all active players with 483 career saves, but with Kyle Finnegan pitching much better out of Detroit's bullpen at the moment, the Tigers could consider a change in the closer role.

Butler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.

On the bench for the sixth time in seven games, Butler looks to have moved into a fourth-outfielder role while rookie Henry Bolte has taken over as the Athletics' primary option in center field. After producing five hits in his first three big-league games, Bolte has slowed down of late with a .535 OPS over his subsequent seven contests, so it may not be long before playing time reopens for Butler if Bolte's bat doesn't start heating back up.

Rooker is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.

The Athletics will hand Rooker just his second day off since he was reinstated from the injured list April 26. With Rooker resting, the Athletics will go with Shea Langeliers in the designated-hitter spot, clearing the way for Jonah Heim to pick up a start behind the plate.