MLB Player News

Burger went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 6-0 win over Baltimore.

Burger was activated from the 10-day injured list Wednesday and served as the designated hitter, while Josh Smith handled first base. He's likely to resume playing first base, as Smith may be needed to cover third base after the Rangers optioned Josh Jung to the minors Wednesday.

Torkelson went 3-for-8 with a home run, a double, a walk, two RBI and three runs scored across both games of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Nationals.

Torkelson smacked a solo homer in Game 1 and got the Tigers on the board with an RBI double in the fourth inning of Game 2. The first baseman has now hit safely in seven of his past eight games, a stretch that includes five extra-base hits, four RBI and eight runs scored. For the season, he's slashing .234/.336/.485 with 18 home runs, 52 RBI, 49 runs scored and one stolen base across 342 plate appearances.

The Rangers reinstated Burger (oblique) from the 10-day injured list. He'll start at designated hitter and bat seventh Wednesday against the Orioles.

Burger began a rehab assignment Tuesday with Double-A Frisco and 1-for-3 with a walk while playing seven innings at first base, and the Rangers evidently came away convinced that the 29-year-old was healthy enough to rejoin the big club. Since he was on the shelf for only about a week and a half due to the left oblique strain, Burger should be ready to reclaim an everyday role right away for the Rangers. Though he'll be used at DH in his first game back from the IL, Burger could end up settling in at first base if the Rangers elect to move super-utility man Josh Smith over to third base as a replacement for the struggling Josh Jung, who was demoted to Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday.

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

France has served as the Twins' everyday first baseman throughout the season, but his stranglehold on that role could be slipping a bit. He'll hit the bench for the second time in the five games while he's slashed just .185/.241/.315 over a stretch of 14 contests dating back to June 14. Kody Clemens will step in for France at first base and will bat eighth.

Mead is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics.

Mead had made three starts at three different infield spots over each of the last three games, but he'll hit the bench Wednesday while Jonathan Aranda plays first base, Brandon Lowe covers second and Junior Caminero handles third. Those three players will be the primary starters at those positions against right-handed pitching, though Mead will likely replace one of the three in the lineup when the Rays face lefties.

Walker went 3-for-4 with one RBI in Tuesday's victory over Colorado.

Walker tallied his fourth three-hit game of the season. A high-profile offseason addition, the first baseman has struggled to find his footing in his first year with Houston, slashing .220/.283/.362 with 23 extra-base hits and 38 RBI across 82 games. While he made solid contact Tuesday, Walker has yet to come close to matching the power he displayed during his eight seasons in Arizona, where he posted a .464 slugging percentage.

Burger (oblique) started at first base and went 1-for-3 with a walk in a rehab game for Double-A Frisco on Tuesday.

Burger begin what is expected to be a brief rehab assignment with Frisco and played seven innings in the field. The Rangers plan to activate him in time for Friday's game in San Diego.

Guerrero went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI in Monday's win over the Yankees.

After getting the Blue Jays on the board in the fifth inning with an RBI groundout, Guerrero capped a four-run sixth with an absolute rocket past Jazz Chisholm at third base to bring home two more, a ball that left his bat with an exit velocity of 115.7 mph. Guerrero puts a very productive June in the books having slashed .290/.383/.516 with nine doubles, four homers, three steals, 18 runs and 18 RBI in 25 games.

Burger (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday and is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list prior to the Rangers' road trip that begins Friday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Burger has been shelved since June 21 with a left oblique strain, but he's been cleared for rehab games and will require a brief minor-league assignment before being activated. The 29-year-old should see regular starts upon his return, likely bouncing between first base and designated hitter.

Goldschmidt is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays.

Ben Rice will get the nod at first base Monday while the Blue Jays send right-hander Max Scherzer to the hill. The Yankees aren't treating Goldschmidt as a pure platoon player, but his opportunities to play against right-handed pitching have been scaled back considerably following Giancarlo Stanton's return from the 60-day injured list June 16. Since that date, the Yankees have faced 11 right-handed starting pitchers, and Goldschmidt has been included in the lineup for six of those matchups. Both Goldschmidt (.273 wOBA) and Stanton (.299 wOBA) could be in danger of fading into part-time roles if the Yankees commit to open up steadier playing time for Rice (.379 wOBA) and Jasson Dominguez (.345 wOBA), both of whom have been far more effective against righties this season.