MLB Player News

Whitlock (oblique) will make a rehab start with Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Whitlock was placed on the 15-day injured list April 17 after sustaining a left oblique strain the day before against the Guardians. Before landing on the IL, Whitlock was 1-0 over four starts with a 1.96 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 17:7 K:BB over 18.1 innings. How he fares during and after his rehab start Wednesday will determine whether the 27-year-old right-hander will require more than one outing in the minors to prepare for his return.

Cooper is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against Washington, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Cooper will begin Saturday's contest in the dugout after going 1-for-3 with an RBI double in Friday's loss. Vaughn Grissom will shift to DH while David Hamilton gets the start at second base.

Grissom will be the designated hitter and bat fifth in Saturday's game against the Nationals, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

With Grissom shifting to DH on Saturday, David Hamilton will start at second base. Since making his Red Sox debut May 3, Grissom is 3-for-21 with one double and two RBI.

Duran started in left field and went 2-for-3 with a run scored in Friday's 4-2 loss to Colorado.

Duran made a third consecutive start and has hit in all three, going 6-for-10 with one RBI and three runs scored. He's started in left field and third base during the three-start run, and there will be plenty of opportunities at each position with Wyatt Langford (hamstring) and Josh Jung (wrist) on the injured list. Neither is due back until the end of the month at the earliest.

Mullins is not in the Orioles' lineup for Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Mullins has struggled over his last three outings, going 1-for-12 with five strikeouts over that span. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Mullins is "pressing big-time," per Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com, though Mullins is still available off the bench for Saturday's contest. Heston Kjerstad will start at left field while Colton Cowser shifts to center field.

Seager went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run and two RBI in Friday's 4-2 loss the Rockies.

Seager launched a solo home run to lead off the sixth inning and then walked with the bases loaded an inning later. He struggled through the first five weeks of the season -- perhaps attributable to missing much of spring training after undergoing hernia surgery in January -- and his batting average was .219 as of May 2. Since then, Seager has hit safely in six of seven games, going 9-for-28 (.321) with two home runs and seven RBI.

Wong is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Nationals, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Wong will begin Saturday's game in the dugout after going 2-for-4 while scoring Boston's lone run in Friday's loss. The lefty-hitting Reese McGuire will start at catcher and bat seventh against Washington right-hander Jake Irvin.

The Rays optioned Uceta to Triple-A Durham on Saturday, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.

The move corresponds with right-hander Pete Fairbanks (arm) being reinstated from the 15-day injured list. Uceta made two big-league appearances after being called up from Triple-A Durham on Monday. Over that span, the right-hander threw four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out five.

Butler went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in a loss to the Mariners on Friday.

Butler spared the Athletics from a shutout loss with his ninth-inning knock, which drove home Kyle McCann. The multi-hit effort was Butler's fourth of the season over 38 games, with the last prior to Friday coming back on April 14. Butler had been mired in a 1-for-19 funk over the previous nine games, so his season slash line still sits at an anemic .188/.284/.292.

France went 2-for-4 with a two-run double and a run in a win over the Athletics on Friday.

Dylan Moore stole the show for the Mariners with a five-RBI night, but France got in on the fun early with a timely two-bagger in the fourth that extended Seattle's lead to 3-0 at the time. The veteran's multi-hit effort was already France's third of May, and he's opened the month with a solid .267 average and .333 on-base percentage across eight contests. However, France's strikeout rate in that span is also a bloated 33.3 percent, pushing his season figure to a career high of 24.8 percent over 137 plate appearances.