MLB Player News

Clement is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game in Houston.

Clement started the first two games of the series but will grab a seat for Wednesday's finale after going 1-for-6 with a strikeout. Will Wagner is at third base and batting eighth as the Blue Jays try to avoid the sweep.

Smith is not in the lineup for Wednesday's tilt against the Blue Jays, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Smith had started each of the previous 13 contests but will get a breather Wednesday as the Astros try to complete a series sweep. Zach Dezenzo will cover right field and bat seventh.

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

Mastrobuoni had started in each of the Mariners' last four matchups versus right-handed pitching, but he'll hit the bench Wednesday while the Red Sox send southpaw Sean Newcomb to the bump. The Mariners will likely continue to deploy Mastrobuoni in a timeshare at third base with Ben Williamson until Jorge Polanco is cleared to play the field again while he manages a side injury.

India is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Rockies.

India is in a 6-for-46 slide at the plate to drop his season batting line to .195/.298/.244. Maikel Garcia is at third base and Cavan Biggio is at second base for the Royals on Wednesday as India gets a day to regroup.

Baez will start in center field and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Padres.

Baez will pick up his sixth straight start and his third in a row in center field, a position he hadn't played professionally prior to this season. The 32-year-old looks on track to serve as the Tigers' preferred option in center until the team gets one of Matt Vierling (shoulder), Wenceel Perez (back) or Parker Meadows (arm) back from the injured list. Baez is hitting .274 on the season, but he has yet to record a home run or stolen base and has logged just four RBI and five runs over 66 plate appearances.

Lewis (hamstring) is expected to begin a rehab assignment later this week, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.

Lewis did sprints Monday and ran the bases Tuesday to test out his left hamstring, coming out of the workouts with no issues. He's also been doing on-field batting practice and infield drills for a couple weeks. It's not clear how many rehab games Lewis will require, but he looks to be tracking toward an early May season debut.

Jung is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Padres.

It's southpaw Kyle Hart on the mound for the Padres, so the left-handed-hitting Jung will begin the festivities on the bench. Andy Ibanez will play third base and bat cleanup for Detroit.

Smith took flyballs in center field prior to Monday's game against the Blue Jays and the Astros are considering using him at the position, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Smith has exceeded expectations with how well he's taken to right field, a position he had never played before. The transition has been so seamless that the team is mulling using Smith in center field on days when it's looking to inject more offense into the lineup. The idea of Smith playing center field "is in its infancy," per Rome, and may never happen, but if it does, Zach Dezenzo would likely play right field those days, with Jake Meyers on the bench.

Garcia went 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base in Tuesday's win over the Rockies.

Garcia posted his second straight game with multiple hits and has now reached base multiple times in five of his last six games. Over that span, he's recorded a .520 on-base percentage. For the season, Garcia is hitting .289/.360/.434 with two homers, 10 RBI, eight runs, three steals and a 9:13 BB:K in 86 plate appearances.

Smith batted leadoff and went 1-for-4 with a walk, a home run, an RBI and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 8-5 win over the Athletics.

Among the several lineup tweaks made by Texas manager Bruce Bochy, Smith was moved to the leadoff spot with Marcus Semien being dropped to fifth. The move, designed to fix a struggling offense, paid off for at least one night. The lineup and batting order tweaks came against a right-hander, and it's uncertain if Bochy will continue the practice against lefties. That will be determined Wednesday when the Rangers face southpaw JP Sears. One thing for certain is that Smith is hitting well out of the gates and getting his bat in the lineup is needed. He started in center field in place of Leody Taveras on Tuesday and eventually moved to shortstop when Corey Seager was removed due to a hamstring injury. In the past, Smith has been the primary fill-in at short whenever Seager dealt with an injury.