MLB Player News

Smith is not in the lineup for Sunday's matchup against the Cardinals, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The lefty-hitting Smith will get a break as Boston takes on southpaw Matthew Liberatore. Garrett Cooper will fill in at first base and bat sixth while Tyler O'Neill moves to designated hitter as the Red Sox look to avoid the sweep in St. Louis.

Lowe went 0-for-4 with two RBI in Saturday's 3-2 extra-innings win over the Angels.

Lowe, who is hitless over his last 13 at-bats, was the late-game hero for the Rangers. He set up extra innings with an run-producing, eighth-inning sacrifice fly, then Lowe was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 13th for the walk-off win. The two RBI give him 14 over 26 games.

Rodriguez (1-0) picked up Saturday's win in extra innings over the Angels. He walked one and struck out one over two scoreless innings.

The Rangers received seven innings of one-run ball out of the bullpen, including the final two from Rodriguez. The right-hander has put together six scoreless frames over his last two outings.

Baez went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI in Saturday's 8-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

A day after recording three hits, Baez one-upped himself and posted his first four-hit effort of the year. Before Friday's outburst, the shortstop was batting just .167, but the two-game flurry has pushed that up to .207. Baez will need to keep stringing together performances like this to make his season-long stats look more acceptable, though at least he's showing some signs of life, and he's been known as a streaky performer in the past who can heat up quickly.

Urshela went 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 8-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Urshela just returned from the injured list Thursday after missing about a month due to a hamstring injury, and these were his first hits since returning, pushing his season average up to a solid .290. The 32-year-old should continue to start most days at third base, though the team will likely find him regular off days to ensure he stays healthy. Matt Vierling is the top option to start at the hot corner when Urshela is on the bench.

Perez went 2-for-4 with two triples, a run scored and four RBI in Saturday's 8-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Perez batted third and continued his strong start to the season, as he boosted his batting average to an even .300 and his OPS to .906. The versatile 24-year-old has settled in as the team's primary center fielder due to Parker Meadows being demoted to the minors. Perez should hold onto fantasy value as long as he's seeing regular playing time and swinging a hot bat.

Flaherty (1-3) allowed two runs on five hits across six innings to earn the win Saturday against the Diamondbacks. He walked two and struck out nine.

Flaherty was sharp as he lowered his ERA to 3.79 and picked up his first win of the season. Despite having only the one win so far, the righty has had a nice bounceback campaign to this point after posting a 4.99 ERA with the Orioles and Cardinals last year. Flaherty has been buoyed by a rise in strikeouts, as he now has an 11.9 K/9 this season, up from 9.2 in 2023. He'll look to keep rolling in his next scheduled outing, which is is penciled in for Thursday against the Blue Jays.

Garcia (elbow) threw 20 pitches in a bullpen session Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Garcia has been throwing bullpen sessions since April but is purposefully being brought along slowly by the Astros. He'll require a lengthy rehab stint and will remain sidelined until at least halfway through the regular season.

Urquidy (forearm) threw 59 pitches and completed four innings in a rehab appearance with Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday.

Urquidy was scheduled to complete four innings in the rehab appearance, and he had a successful outing. He threw 38 of his pitches for strikes and reached 93 mph with his fastball. Urquidy could require one more rehab appearance, but he's expected to be activated from the injured list by late May.

Pepiot (leg) threw a three-inning bullpen session ahead of Friday's game against the Blue Jays, MLB.com reports.

Pepiot continues to make progress toward a return, as he's now thrown three successful bullpen sessions. His activation could come as soon as the Rays' upcoming series against the Red Sox, though no final decision has been reached.