MLB Player News

Langford said Wednesday that he's been diagnosed with a Grade 1 flexor strain following an MRI and expects to be placed on the injured list, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

The transaction may not be made official prior to Wednesday's game against the Pirates, but Langford will need to miss time after he felt his right forearm tighten up on a swing during Tuesday's 5-1 win. For his part, Langford doesn't believe the injury is too serious, and he's optimistic that he'll be able to return from the IL when first eligible May 2. Ezequiel Duran will draw the start in left field Wednesday, and he and Alejandro Osuna -- who is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Round Rock in a corresponding move -- could end up sharing the position while Langford is on the shelf.

The Cubs optioned Little to Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Little was with the big club for a week and made one appearance, allowing one run over one inning of work. He's clearing out to make space on the roster for Matthew Boyd (biceps), who is back from the injured list to start Wednesday's contest versus the Phillies.

The Cubs activated Boyd (biceps) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Boyd is set to rejoin the rotation with a start Wednesday against the Phillies after missing the past two-plus weeks with a left biceps strain. The left-hander threw 64 pitches and went 3.2 innings in his lone rehab outing last Thursday, so he might not be ready for a full workload in his first start back from the injured list.

The Phillies selected Stubbs' contract from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

He'll join the big club as a replacement for top catcher J.T. Realmuto (back), who was placed on the 10-day injured list. Rafael Marchan will draw the start behind the plate in Wednesday's game against the Cubs and will likely see the larger share of playing time at catcher while Realmuto is out, though Stubbs should be in line for at least a couple starts per week. After failing to win a spot on the Phillies' Opening Day roster, Stubbs shined early on at Triple-A this season, slashing .289/.413/.632 with three home runs and three stolen bases across 46 plate appearances.

The Phillies placed Realmuto on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to back spasms, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Realmuto initially tweaked his back on a play at the plate in Friday's 9-0 loss to Atlanta, then started Saturday but left early after aggravating the injury. He was held out of the lineup for the next two days before returning to action in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Cubs, but his back is apparently still presenting issues for him. The Phillies will shut Realmuto down for at least the next week and a half with the hope that the back problem resolves itself, though the veteran backstop is without an official timeline for a return. Rafael Marchan and Garrett Stubbs will share the catching duties while Realmuto is on the mend.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday that he has not considered removing Williams from the closer role, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.

Williams failed to retire any of the five batters he faced in Tuesday's loss to the Twins and has allowed seven runs in 1.1 innings covering his last three appearances. He had been unscored upon in his first five outings of the season, however, and Mendoza is confident Williams can right the ship. Luke Weaver is the Mets' primary setup man and likely would be next in line if Mendoza makes a change at some point, though Weaver has not pitched well so far, posting a 6.23 ERA and 4:3 K:BB in 8.2 frames.

Caminero went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Reds.

The third baseman lofted a Brandon Williamson two-seamer 404 feet in the third inning for a solo shot, which was Tampa Bay's only extra-base hit of the contest. Caminero has hit safely in eight straight games, batting .306 (11-for-36) over that stretch with four of his six homers on the season, along with eight runs and eight RBI.

Martinez (1-1) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and a walk over eight innings in a 6-1 victory over Cincinnati. He struck out six.

Facing the team he spent the last two seasons with in a swingman role, Martinez made a very strong statement about his ability to be a regular member of a big-league rotation. The veteran right-hander fired 71 strikes among his 95 pitches over a career-best eight frames, and Martinez now has three quality starts among his first five trips to the mound for the Rays. He'll take a 2.10 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 20:8 K:BB through 30 innings into his next outing, which is set to come on the road early next week in Cleveland.

The Royals announced that Garcia was removed from Wednesday's game against the Orioles after the fifth inning due to right elbow soreness, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

While it remains unclear when or how Garcia suffered the injury, he could be sent in for further testing as the Royals look to gain clarity on the severity of the matter. Garcia went 0-for-3 with a strikeout prior to exiting the game.

The Tigers transferred Horn (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.

Horn is coming back from offseason arthroscopic left elbow surgery and was pulled off his rehab assignment last week after incurring a setback. Per MLB.com, Horn recently received a cortisone injection in his elbow, so he'll presumably be shut down from throwing for at least a few days while he waits for the shot to take full effect. The reliever could eventually resume his rehab assignment within the next few weeks, but he won't be eligible for activation until late May.