MLB Player News

Buxton is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.

Buxton was absent from the starting nine for Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader for the first time this season, though he came off the bench and went 0-for-2 with a run. The 30-year-old has gone 3-for-27 with 14 strikeouts over his past eight contests and will take a seat for Sunday's series finale. Austin Martin will shift to center field while Manuel Margot starts in left.

Armstrong will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Sunday's game against the Giants, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Armstrong isn't expected to work more than an inning or two before turning the game over to Tyler Alexander, who is slated to work as a bulk reliever. Through four appearances (one start) this season, Armstrong has covered 6.1 innings while striking out five and allowing four earned runs on six hits and four walks.

McKenzie took the loss in game two of a doubleheader against the Yankees on Saturday, allowing six runs (five earned) on four hits and six walks while striking out one.

McKenzie walked the first two batters he faced before going on to surrender two runs in the opening frame, though only one of those would count against him due to a fielding error on the part of Andres Gimenez. The right-hander was then able to get through the next two innings unscathed before once again issuing back-to-back walks to lead off the fourth, eventually leading to four more runs coming home for New York. McKenzie issued a season-high six walks in the contest and now holds a putrid 5:12 K:BB early in the campaign. He's also failed to make it through five innings in two of his first three starts.

The Twins optioned Alcala to Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday.

The right-hander has given up just one unearned run on three hits through six appearances this season, but he'll be the odd man out of the bullpen with Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) making his return from the injured list. Alcala should rejoin Minnesota once additional bullpen help is needed.

The Twins activated Thielbar (hamstring) from the 15-day injured list Sunday.

Thielbar opened the season on the injured list with a hamstring strain but is ready to join the big club after two rehab appearances with Triple-A St. Paul. The left-hander recorded 14 holds and had a 3.23 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 36:6 K:BB across 30.2 innings last season, and he should fill a high-leverage role for the Twins now that he's healthy.

Perez went 2-for-3 with a double and a stolen base in Saturday's loss to the Twins in the second game of a doubleheader.

Perez reached on an infield single in his first at-bat and stole second but was left stranded. He also reached second base in the bottom of the seventh, this time on a two-out double, but was again left hanging as Detroit's offense struggled to get anything going on the night. The two hits were the first of the season for the second baseman, though he also drew a walk and scored in the first game of the doubleheader.

McGuire is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The lefty-hitting McGuire will exit the starting nine while the Angels bring southpaw Tyler Anderson to the bump in the series finale. Connor Wong will replace McGuire behind the dish.

Valdez (thumb) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

After exiting Saturday's 7-2 win early with a bruised left thumb, Valdez will hit the bench for the series finale. It's unclear whether the injury is actually keeping him out of the lineup, as the lefty-hitting Valdez likely would have been on the bench anyway with a southpaw (Tyler Anderson) on the mound for the Halos. In any case, Pablo Reyes will fill in for Valdez at the keystone.

Wentz logged 2.1 scoreless innings of relief in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Twins. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out four.

So far so good for Wentz as a long reliever, as the lefty now has a 1.17 ERA and 10 strikeouts across 7.2 innings. His stuff has played up a bit in relief, with his average fastball velocity this year sitting at 94.3 mph, up from 93.4 mph in 2023, and his K/9 has increased from 8.3 to 11.7. Wentz looks like a useful bullpen option for the Tigers, and he could parlay that into more high-leverage work at some point.

Devers (shoulder) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The 27-year-old's absence from the starting nine will extend to four games Sunday as he continues to nurse a sore left shoulder. According to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, Devers is going through pregame work Sunday, and manager Alex Cora expects the third baseman to be back in the lineup Monday versus Cleveland. Bobby Dalbec will receive another start at the hot corner with Devers still sidelined.