MLB Player News

Henderson is not in the starting lineup Saturday against the Mariners, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Henderson will take a seat after he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts during the series opener Friday. Jorge Mateo will draw the start at shortstop and bat ninth versus Seattle.

Garcia (upper body) will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Cardinals.

Garcia left Friday's game against the Cardinals with upper-body discomfort, and he'll remain sidelined Saturday. The exact nature and severity of his injury remain unclear, but the Royals have an off day scheduled for Sunday, so he'll get at least two days to rest. Matt Duffy will handle third base in his absence.

LeMahieu (calf) remains absent from the lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Marlins.

LeMahieu hasn't played since Monday while dealing with a sore right calf. A trip to the injured list appears unlikely, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports, as the veteran took grounders at third base prior to Saturday's game and appears to be working toward his return. Isiah Kiner-Falefa remains the starting third baseman for now.

Duffy went 1-for-3 with two RBI in Friday's 12-8 win over the Cardinals.

Duffy didn't start the game, but he checked in at third base after Maikel Garcia (upper body) exited. After starting the year fairly well in a limited role, Duffy has been pretty quiet, batting .218 with a .530 OPS over 33 games since the start of June. He's at a .260/.314/.322 slash line with a home run, 10 RBI, 12 runs scored and six doubles through 159 plate appearances overall. If Garcia ends up on the injured list, Duffy or Matt Beaty would be most likely to pick up additional time at the hot corner.

Ramirez will begin serving a two-game suspension Saturday for fighting White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson last weekend, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

Ramirez was initially suspended for three games for his role last Saturday's brawl, but the ban has been reduced to two games on appeal. He'll miss both weekend contests against the Rays but will be available when the Guardians head to Cincinnati on Tuesday.

Garcia was lifted from Friday's game versus the Cardinals due to upper body discomfort, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.

Garcia didn't suffer an obvious injury but was replaced on defense by Matt Duffy prior to the top of the third inning. He singled twice and scored two runs out of the leadoff spot before exiting. Garcia will undergo additional testing Saturday to determine the severity of the injury.

LeMahieu (calf) remains out of the lineup Friday at Miami.

LeMahieu was scratched from Wednesday's series finale versus the White Sox due to right calf tightness and will take another day off for rest and treatment. Imaging scans taken Thursday showed no structural damage, per Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is covering third base and batting leadoff Friday versus the Marlins.

Freeman (shoulder) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus on Friday, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

Freeman has been out of action for just over a week with shoulder soreness that first popped up Aug. 1 versus the Astros. The fact that he's already set for a rehab assignment is a positive sign that he could be activated when first eligible. What's less clear is where Freeman might fit in the Guardians' infield once he returns, as Brayan Rocchio and Gabriel Arias have both enjoyed some success with more playing time in recent weeks.

Ramirez went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks and a stolen base in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Ramirez struggled during this week's four-game series against Toronto, going 1-for-13 with two walks. The steal was his fourth in his last 10 games and his 17th of the year. The third baseman has a .283/.356/.487 slash line with 18 home runs, 65 RBI and 67 runs scored through 112 contests. His appeal of a three-game suspension stemming from an incident Saturday versus the White Sox is still pending.

Gelof went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a win over the Rangers on Wednesday.

Gelof made the most noise on either side during a night in which both teams were quiet offensively. The rookie has now left the yard in five of the last 11 games, and he's laced 13 of his first 21 big-league hits overall for extra bases.