MLB Player News

Velazquez (lower body) has returned to play at Triple-A Columbus after missing 10 days earlier this month due to lower-body soreness.

Velazquez was considered day-to-day after experiencing some lower-body soreness, but he was cleared to return to action last week. He's appeared in four games since Sept. 16, going 5-for-16 with three RBI, one walk and three runs.

Lewis is not in the lineup for Monday's game in San Francisco.

Lewis has slashed just .183/.207/.243 with one home run and a 4:28 BB:K over his last 30 games to drop his season batting line to .227/.290/.381. Aaron Sabato is starting at first base for the Twins on Monday, and he could continue playing over Lewis at the position during the final week of the regular season.

Guerrero (back) is absent from the lineup for Monday's game in Baltimore.

Guerrero was lifted from Sunday's 7-2 win over the Rangers because of lower-back tightness, and he's not feeling well enough a day later to return to the lineup. He's considered day-to-day, but with the Blue Jays' playoff hopes fading, Guerrero could be shut down if he doesn't improve in a hurry. Sean Keys will handle first base in Guerrero's stead Monday.

The Twins selected Sabato's contract from Triple-A St. Paul on Monday.

Sabato slashed .273/.349/.528 with 25 home runs and a 41:119 BB:K over 113 games this season with St. Paul to earn his first big-league promotion. The 27-year-old first baseman could eat into the playing time of Royce Lewis, who is slashing just .184/.218/.248 over his last 33 games.

The Twins will call up Sabato from Triple-A St. Paul prior to Monday's game against the Giants, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.

A first-round pick in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft, Sabato will receive his first promotion to the big leagues after slashing .273/.349/.528 with 25 home runs and a 41:119 BB:K over 113 games this season with St. Paul. The 27-year-old could get regular reps at first base during the final week of the regular season in place of the struggling Royce Lewis.

Guerrero was removed from Sunday's game against the Rangers due to lower-back tightness, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

The veteran slugger went 1-for-2 before being replaced at first base for the bottom of the fourth inning. The severity of the injury isn't clear, but any absence for Guerrero would be significant for Toronto with just one week left in the regular season.

Aranda is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

Aranda is in the midst of a seven-game hit streak, during which he has three homers and a 1.069 OPS, but he'll head to the bench for the series finale versus Boston. Ryan Vilade is starting at first base and batting second against southpaw Patrick Sandoval on Sunday.

Pasquantino is absent from the lineup for Sunday's matchup against the Pirates.

Despite recording back-to-back multi-hit games, Pasquantino will take a breather for Sunday's series finale against Pittsburgh. Salvador Perez will start at first base and bat cleanup for the Royals.

Contreras (hand) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

It's the third consecutive absence for Contreras after exiting Thursday's contest against the Rangers with a bruised right hand from a hit-by-pitch. The veteran slugger will have Monday's team off day to aid in his recovery ahead of Tuesday's series opener versus Cleveland. Nick Sogard is picking up another start at first base Sunday for the Red Sox.

Smith entered as a pinch hitter and hit a walk-off, two-run home run in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Yankees.

Smith took Michael Fulmer deep in dramatic fashion, which helped snap the team's three-game losing streak and inched the Diamondbacks closer in the wild-card standings. It was Smith's second home run in three games. He usually finds himself in the starting lineup against right-handers but opened Saturday's contest on the bench against New York righty Cam Schlittler. Since having his contract selected from Triple-A Reno last week, Smith is 5-for-15 with three extra-base hits and four RBI through six games.