MLB Player News

Gasper will start at designated hitter and bat leadoff in Friday's contest versus the Rangers.

Regular leadoff man Jarren Duran has been moved down to the No. 5 spot in the Boston lineup. Gasper is making his sixth straight start, but he's just 2-for-19 at the dish in the first five of those contests.

Duran will start in left field and bat fifth in Friday's game against the Rangers.

It's the first time since April 25 that Duran has batted anywhere other than leadoff. After a strong showing in May during which he put up a .879 OPS with nine home runs and five stolen bases, Duran is just 5-for-33 with no homers, one steal and a 0:14 BB:K so far in June. Mickey Gasper is batting leadoff for the Red Sox on Friday.

Mayer (back/neck) will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Friday's game versus the Rangers.

Mayer was held out of Wednesday's lineup versus the Rays due to back and neck stiffness, but he's feeling better after a team off day Thursday. The 23-year-old is sitting on a .600 OPS with three home runs and three stolen bases this season.

Hicks (lat) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.

Hicks went down with a right lat strain three weeks ago but has improved enough that he's ready to test things out in a game setting. As long as he doesn't encounter any bumps in the road, Hicks should rejoin the White Sox's bullpen sometime next week. He's collected a 5.60 ERA and 15:17 K:BB over 17.2 innings for Chicago this season.

Aldegheri will start Friday's home game against the Rays, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

After the southpaw was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Sunday, the Angels initially made him available out of the bullpen. Aldegheri made a one-inning, eight-pitch appearance in Monday's extra-inning loss to the Astros but hasn't worked since, so he'll be ready to step into the vacant fifth spot in the rotation. With Jack Kochanowicz (elbow) headed for season-ending Tommy John surgery, Aldegheri should have a clear path to a permanent spot if he performs well. The 24-year-old has permitted three runs on 11 hits and five walks while striking out eight batters over 12 innings at the big-league level this season but posted an unsightly 7.24 ERA, 1.72 WHIP and 32:23 K:BB across 46 frames at Triple-A.

The Guardians will recall Espino from Triple-A Columbus prior to Friday's game against the Tigers, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Following two shoulder surgeries and multiple missed seasons due to injury, Espino is finally poised to make his major-league debut. The right-hander has been used out of the bullpen at Columbus, posting a 5.30 ERA and 29:15 K:BB over 18.2 innings of work. The timing of the call-up is interesting, given that Espino was scored upon in three of his last four outings at Triple-A, but the Guardians feel he's ready for his first big-league opportunity. Espino is likely to be used in low-leverage situations initially.

Canzone went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 7-5 loss to the Orioles.

Canzone has nine homers on the year, including five over his last 14 contests. He's batting .381 (16-for-42) with seven RBI in that span as he continues to be productive in a strong-side platoon role. Canzone is now hitting .276 with an .874 OPS, 26 RBI, 23 runs scored, 12 doubles and a stolen base over 170 plate appearances on the year.

Raley went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 7-5 loss to the Orioles.

Raley has endured a cold start to June. He's been held hitless in seven of nine games this month, going 3-for-31 (.097) since the calendar flipped. The outfielder is still batting .249 on the year, and he's added an .835 OPS, 14 homers, 33 RBI, 23 runs scored and a stolen base over 199 plate appearances. The Mariners appear to be committed to a platoon in right field, so Raley should continue to see steady playing time versus right-handed pitchers.

Young went 3-for-5 with a solo home run in Thursday's 7-5 loss to the Orioles.

Young led off the game with a homer, taking Kyle Bradish deep on the third pitch of the contest. Over the last 14 games, Young has hit safely in 13 of them, going 18-for-57 (.316) in that span. He's hit leadoff against the last five right-handers the Mariners have faced, corresponding with J.P. Crawford's (hand) exit from the lineup. Young is now batting .255 with a .684 OPS, five homers, 32 RBI, 29 runs scored, 10 doubles, one triple and two stolen bases over 70 contests this season, and he's trending up.

Woo (5-5) allowed seven runs on seven hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out four over five innings to take the loss versus the Orioles on Thursday.

Woo continues to be wildly inconsistent -- he's allowed at least four runs in five of his last nine outings, but he's also posted three scoreless lines in that span. The right-hander was cruising early Thursday, but a six-run third inning spoiled the effort. That included a pair of home runs, making this just the third time he's allowed multiple homers in a game this season. Woo now has a 4.28 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 79:15 K:BB through 82 innings across 14 starts. He'll look to get back on track next week in a rematch versus the Orioles in Seattle.