MLB Player News

Contreras (back) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game in Minnesota.

Contreras exited Tuesday's 6-0 loss after his lower back tightened up on him. With a team off day looming Thursday before the Red Sox begin a homestand Friday, it's sensible to rest Contreras for the series finale Wednesday. Andruw Monasterio will handle first base and bat sixth for Boston. Per Ian Browne of MLB.com, manager Alex Cora believes Contreras has a good chance to be ready to play Friday versus the Tigers.

Martinez is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game in St. Louis.

Martinez had made seven consecutive starts, but he'll get a breather for Wednesday's series finale. George Valera will play left field and occupy the fifth slot in the batting order for the Guardians.

The Orioles designated Sandridge for assignment Wednesday.

His spot on the 40-man roster will be absorbed by Sam Huff, who has been added as a third catcher to Baltimore's active roster. It's the third time since January that Sandridge has been designated for assignment. He's tossed 1.2 scoreless frames with a 2:3 K:BB at Triple-A Norfolk.

The Orioles selected Huff's contract from Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday.

Huff will serve as a third catcher for the Orioles and could see some action against left-handed pitching. The 28-year-old is a career .247/.301/.430 hitter over parts of five big-league seasons and has carried a .438 OPS early on at Norfolk.

Caratini will start at designated hitter and will bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Though Caratini doesn't sit atop the depth chart at any spot, he's been able to see steady playing time this season through his duties as the Twins' backup catcher and as a platoon partner for the left-handed-hitting Kody Clemens. Caratini will draw his 10th consecutive start Wednesday, with six coming at first base or DH against lefties and the other four coming as a catcher versus righties when Ryan Jeffers has received a breather.

The Orioles optioned Raquet to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday.

Raquet made two appearances for Baltimore after being acquired via trade from the Cardinals last week, yielding three runs with a 0:1 K:BB across 1.2 innings. His spot on the 26-man active roster is being filled by Sam Huff, who was called up from Triple-A to serve as the Orioles' third catcher.

Larnach is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

The left-handed-hitting Larnach will sit for the second time in the series while the Red Sox send another southpaw (Connelly Early) to the bump for the finale. A career .215/.276/.317 hitter against lefties, Larnach will likely continue to see limited exposure to same-handed pitching throughout the season.

Gray is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Since Royce Lewis landed on the injured list Friday due to a sprained left knee, the Twins have used Gray and Ryan Kreidler in a platoon at third base. With southpaw Connelly Early on the hill for Boston in the series finale, the right-handed-hitting Kreidler will get the nod at third base, though Gray should stand to see a larger volume of the opportunities at the position while Lewis is shelved.

Padres manager Craig Stammen said Tuesday that Pivetta underwent an MRI on his elbow, but the Padres are still awaiting the results before a timeline for the right-hander's return is established, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Pivetta exited his most recent start Sunday against the Rockies due to an injury the Padres initially labeled as right elbow stiffness. Upon placing Pivetta on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, the team classified his injury as inflammation, but the severity of the issue won't be known until the MRI results are in. Matt Waldron (lower body) is expected to be reinstated from the 15-day injured list later this week to take over Pivetta's spot in the rotation.

Verdugo has been rehabbing a sore throwing shoulder at the Padres' spring training complex in Arizona and is expected to report to Triple-A El Paso in a couple of weeks once fully healthy, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The veteran outfielder signed a minor-league contract with the Padres on March 1, but the injury explains why he hasn't seen game action since the final week of the Cactus League. After posting a lowly .585 OPS over 213 plate appearances in the majors with Atlanta in 2025, Verdugo will likely need to find success over an extended period of time at El Paso before putting himself in consideration for a promotion to San Diego.