MLB Player News

Diaz's sore left shoulder continues to improve and he could be "more available" Sunday off the bench as a pinch hitter, according to manager Kevin Cash, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays have an off day Monday, so perhaps Diaz will return to the lineup sometime during the series in Cleveland that begins Tuesday. In the meantime, Isaac Paredes is picking up extra starts at third base.

Mountcastle went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 11-10 loss to the Astros.

Mountcastle has found a groove over the last week, going 8-for-21 (.381) across his last six games, though none of those hits have gone for extra bases. The 25-year-old is up to a .249/.302/.427 slash line through 135 contests while adding 22 home runs, 82 RBI, 59 runs scored and four stolen bases.

Naylor is not in Sunday's lineup against the Rangers.

He will head to the bench with southpaw Cole Ragans toeing the rubber for Texas. Naylor is hitting .364 with two home runs and a stolen base over his last six games.

France went 3-for-5 with an RBI single, a double, a walk and a run in a win over the Royals on Saturday.

France collected the most hits of any Mariners player in the narrow win, lacing multiple knocks for the fourth time in the last nine games. The 28-year-old's production has had a feast-or-famine quality to it during that time -- he's gone hitless in the other five contests in the sample -- but France remains a key component of the top half of the Mariners lineup and has already established new career highs in home runs (20) and RBI (79) across 131 games.

Abreu is not in Sunday's lineup against the Tigers.

This is Abreu's first day off this month. Andrew Vaughn is starting at first base while Adam Engel enters the outfield mix.

Torkelson is not in Sunday's lineup against the White Sox.

Torkelson is hitting .179 with zero home runs over his last 10 games, but on the bright side, he is only striking out at a 16.7 percent clip over that stretch. Harold Castro will start at first base and hit third.

Aranda is not in Sunday's lineup against the Blue Jays.

Aranda has been playing regularly over the last week, hitting .125 with a .276 OBP and one home run in 24 at-bats over that stretch. Taylor Walls is starting at second base and hitting ninth.

Diaz (shoulder) is not in Sunday's lineup against the Blue Jays.

Diaz has not played since Monday, Sept. 19. Isaac Paredes will start at third base while Harold Ramirez gets the start at first base.

Casas went 1-for-2 with three walks, a home run and three RBI in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Yankees.

Casas hit a two-run homer in the second inning then walked with the bases loaded in the sixth to produce a third run. The rookie has shown good defense at first base, but he hasn't hit much. He had just three hits over the first 38 at-bats (.079) in the majors but has hit safely in the first three games of the series against the Yankees, including two home runs. The Red Sox aren't worried and are confident Casas will hit in the majors.

Calhoun went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Guardians.

Calhoun's playing time has dried up, and Saturday's plate appearance was just his eighth over the last 12 games. He's made two starts during that stretch and was removed for a pinch hitter in both. The Rangers have prioritized the development of Leody Taveras, Bubba Thompson and Josh Smith instead.