MLB Player News

Urshela isn't starting Thursday's regularly scheduled game against the Astros.

Urshela will get a breather after he went 0-for-5 with a strikeout during Wednesday's suspended game. Jose Miranda will take over at the hot corner and bat fifth.

Duffy (illness) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Duffy has been on the COVID-19 injured list since May 1, but he's been cleared to return to game action with the minor-league club. The team hasn't indicated how many rehab games Duffy will require prior to rejoining the major-league club, but he'll presumably reclaim a part-time role once he's cleared for big-league games.

Rivera will start at third base and bat sixth in Thursday's game against the Rangers, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

After coming off the bench to provide a three-run triple in Wednesday's 8-2 win, Rivera will be rewarded with his second start in three games. The righty-hitting Rivera should have a good chance of sticking in the lineup when the Royals face left-handed pitching, either as a replacement for Ryan O'Hearn or MJ Melendez.

Mead is batting .308/.402/.549 with four homers, 10 doubles and a 10:15 BB:K through 25 games for Double-A Montgomery.

Mead entered the season with a reputation as a high-contact, doubles-over-homers hitter (15 long balls and 38 doubles across three levels last year), and that's exactly what he's been so far in 2022. The power production may never be elite, but he's just 21 and has time to grow into more; meanwhile, with his gap-to-gap approach and low strikeout rate, it looks like he'll have a great shot at hitting for average in the majors.

Urias (abdomen) is unavailable for Thursday's game against the Cardinals, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with abdominal discomfort, and he'll be unavailable for a third consecutive game to close out the series in St. Louis. Rylan Bannon is starting at third base after being recalled Thursday, while Urias won't be available as a bench option. However, Urias remains day-to-day ahead of the Orioles' upcoming series in Detroit.

Kreidler (hand) has recently been participating in strengthening activities, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Kreidler underwent surgery on his fractured right hand in late April, but he's been able to work on his recovery approximately two weeks after the procedure. The 24-year-old still has several steps to take before he's in consideration to return to game action, but he's progressing well so far.

Walls went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-2 extra-inning win over the Angels.

The 25-year-old continues to get regular playing time, primarily at third base, but he hasn't been able to do much with those opportunities. Walls is slashing .189/.310/.297 through 87 plate appearances, and while his five steals on the season are useful, they come with only one homer, three RBI and eight runs.

High-A Aberdeen activated Prieto (hamstring) from the 7-day injured list ahead of Wednesday's game against Hudson Valley.

He'll start at second base and bat sixth as he makes his return to the Aberdeen lineup following a two-week absence due to a strained right hamstring. Before picking up the injury, the 23-year-old slashed .328/.378/.701 with seven home runs and two stolen bases across 74 plate appearances with Aberdeen.

Urias (abdomen) isn't starting Wednesday against the Cardinals, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Urias wasn't in Tuesday's lineup due to abdominal discomfort, and he'll be excluded from the starting nine once again Wednesday. Whether he's available off the bench isn't yet known, but Tyler Nevin will start at the hot corner and bat seventh.

Rendon went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 12-0 win over Tampa Bay.

The Rays were down big while being no-hit by Reid Detmers late in the contest, so they opted to bring in outfielder Brett Phillips to cover the eighth inning. Rendon chose to have a little fun of his own, stepping into the batter's box from the left side for the first time in his career. The veteran third baseman took the first pitch for a ball before driving a 54-mph Phillips offering 411 feet for his fourth long ball of the season. It was a bright spot in what has been a tough campaign for Rendon, who is slashing .206/.314/.373 through 121 plate appearances.