MLB Player News

The Twins optioned Rojas to Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday.

Minnesota moved Rojas to the minors and designated right-hander Austin Voth for assignment after the two pitchers covered the first six innings of Tuesday's 12-3 loss to the Dodgers. Prior to making the two-inning start for Minnesota, Rojas hadn't pitched for the big club since late May after he had been shelved due to triceps inflammation. The Twins will likely have the young lefty get further stretched out as a member of the rotation at Triple-A.

Arias is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the White Sox.

Arias will be on the bench for a second straight day after he started the previous two games but went 0-for-9 with seven strikeouts between those contests. Even though Jose Ramirez's (hand) move to the injured list June 14 has opened up a spot in the lineup at third base, Arias may have to settle for being part of a timeshare at the position with Daniel Schneemann, who receives the starting nod Wednesday.

Halpin is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the White Sox.

Halpin had started each of the previous four contests in center field, but he will begin Wednesday's game on the bench. Steven Kwan will cover center field Wednesday, and David Fry will patrol left field.

Rogers gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits in one inning of relief Tuesday to take his third blown save of the season in an extra-innings loss to the Astros.

With Louis Varland getting some rest after throwing 40 pitches while working two of the prior three days, manager John Schneider had to look to other high-leverage options in a close game. Jeff Hoffman got the final two outs in the eighth inning with the score tied 4-4, and after the Blue Jays took a two-run lead in the bottom of that frame, Rogers got the call in the top of the ninth. The veteran right-hander couldn't close the door, giving up back-to-back singles to Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez to begin the inning and watching both eventually come around to score on a catcher's interference call and a sacrifice fly. The earned run was the first on Rogers' ledger since May 25, although he did get tagged for five unearned runs against the Cubs on June 19. On the season, he sports a 1.91 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 20:12 K:BB over 37.2 innings with one win, two saves and 17 holds, and he may be due for some rest of his own -- only teammates Mason Fluharty (42 appearances) and Braydon Fisher (40) have appeared in more games this season than Rogers.

Seager (concussion) appears to be trending toward a return from the 7-day injured list ahead of Thursday's game in Toronto, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Per MLB.com, Seager took part in live batting practice and simulated defensive work during a pregame workout Tuesday, with his activity signaling that he's nearly cleared concussion protocol after experiencing some mild concussion symptoms following an on-field collision June 11 in Kansas City. Seager still has a couple of boxes to check before formally clearing the protocol, and due to the early start time of the Rangers' game against the Marlins on Wednesday, the team won't try and rush him back into action for the series finale in Miami. Assuming Seager is ready to play during the Rangers' four-game series in Toronto, Ezequiel Duran will likely move off shortstop and displace Nicky Lopez as the team's primary option at the keystone.

Bubic (elbow) is slated to make a rehab start Wednesday with Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

After landing on the injured list May 18 due to left elbow soreness, Bubic was cleared to kick off a rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha on June 9. The left-hander was lit up for six runs (five earned) while recording just four outs in his lone outing with Omaha before being pulled off the assignment after experiencing shoulder discomfort. An MRI cleared Bubic of any major concerns with the shoulder, so he didn't have to pause his throwing program for more than a few days. Bubic made it through a two-inning live bullpen session over the weekend without issue and will now resume the rehab assignment, this time linking up with the Royals' Double-A affiliate. He'll likely need at least one more start in the minors beyond Wednesday to get fully ramped up, but Bubic would appear to have a shot at rejoining the Kansas City rotation before the All-Star break.

The Rangers recalled Santos from Double-A Frisco on Wednesday.

Santos has made 11 starts with Frisco this season, posting a 7.44 ERA and 58:21 K:BB over 42.1 innings. The 24-year-old will provide bullpen protection for the Rangers and will be making his major-league debut if he gets into a game.

Higashioka is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

The Rangers will give Higashioka a breather for Wednesday's matinee game after he went 1-for-4 while catching eight innings of a 6-4 loss Tuesday night. Elias Diaz will handle catching duties for Texas in the series finale.

The Rangers optioned Corniell to Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday.

Corniell was saddled with the loss Tuesday in Miami in his first appearance in the majors this season, allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 3.1 innings. Winston Santos was recalled from Double-A Frisco to join the Texas bullpen as a replacement for Corniell, who will likely go back into the rotation at Round Rock.

Smith went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Tuesday's 9-7 win over the Blue Jays.

Smith extended the Astros' lead to 3-0 with a 436-foot blast off Shane Bieber in the fourth inning, his eighth homer of the year, before adding a second RBI with a sacrifice fly that tied the game 6-6 in the ninth. The homer was Smith's first in 10 games -- he'd gone 7-for-33 (.212) in his previous nine contests. Overall, Smith is slashing .223/.301/.366 with 28 RBI, 31 runs scored and eight stolen bases across 299 plate appearances this season.