MLB Player News

Encarnacion-Strand will start at third base and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Angels.

The Orioles' decision to deal Taylor Ward to the Mariners prior to Monday's trade deadline appears to have reopened playing time for Encarnacion-Strand, who will be included in the lineup for the fourth game in a row after starting just once in the four contests prior to that. The 26-year-old brings intriguing power potential to the table, but a 26.5 percent career strikeout rate in the big leagues has gotten in the way of him enjoying sustained success. He's kept his rate at a much more palatable 19.1 percent so far during his time in Baltimore, albeit in small sample of just 47 plate appearances.

Guzman is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Guzman had started in each of the Angels' last five contests, but he'll get a break Wednesday while Vaughn Grissom covers the hot corner. The 22-year-old has been in a rut at the plate since the All-Star break, going just 6-for-40 (.150 average) with one home run, one stolen base, three runs and two RBI.

Ramirez (hand) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.

Ramirez is nursing soreness in his surgically repaired left hand and will be relegated to the bench for a second straight day. The newly recalled Angel Genao will make his MLB debut as the Guardians' starter at third base in place of Ramirez, whom manager Stephen Vogt said is "definitely progressing really, really well," according to Mason Horodyski of News 5 Cleveland. The Guardians are seemingly viewing Ramirez as day-to-day and are optimistic he won't need to go back on the injured list.

Hayes will start at third base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Athletics.

Hayes will pick up his third straight start at third base while Sal Stewart moves across the diamond and Eugenio Suarez settles in as the Reds' designated hitter. With the Reds recently placing Spencer Steer (wrist) on the injured list and trading away Nathaniel Lowe prior to Monday's deadline, Hayes' outlook for playing time has improved, but he's not necessarily locked in as an everyday player. Hayes is sitting on a dismal .444 OPS over 166 plate appearances this season, and if the Reds prefer to prioritize offense over defense, they could scale back his opportunities and have Suarez play third base more regularly while opening up more reps at DH for rookie Hector Rodriguez.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said Wednesday that Jung (calf) has been making slow progress in his recovery and will remain out for at least 10 more days, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Though Jung was able to resume running Monday, he looks as though he'll be ramped up slowly as he works his way back from a left calf strain. Jung, who has been on the shelf since July 25, is expected to eventually require a rehab assignment before rejoining the Rangers. Ezequiel Duran should continue to serve as the Rangers' everyday third baseman in Jung's absence.

Koss is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

Koss covered third base in the first two contests of the series but will cede the hot corner to Buddy Kennedy in the finale. With Matt Chapman (abdomen) having recently suffered a setback that will delay his return from the injured list and potentially keep him out for the rest of the season, the everyday role at third base is up for grabs. Koss has done little thus far to prove himself worthy of steady playing time; he's slashing just .167/.216/.188 over 51 plate appearances with the Giants.

Paredes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Toronto, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

In his last three games, Paredes is a combined 0-for-13 with a walk and three strikeouts. Houston will give the 27-year-old the day off amid his slump, with Nick Allen manning third base and batting ninth.

Garcia (hand) received a cortisone injection Tuesday and will be shut down for around five days before ramping up baseball activity, MLB.com reports.

Garcia has been on the injured list since June 22 due to a muscle strain in his left hand and was pulled off his rehab assignment after just one appearance with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on July 28 due to renewed discomfort. After meeting with a hand specialist Tuesday, the 26-year-old received a cortisone injection and was prescribed brief rest, a generally positive sign that his setback isn't overly concerning or season-ending. A more formal timeline is likely to emerge once Garcia resumes baseball activities. Before hitting the shelf, he slashed .261/.320/.373 with three homers, 30 RBI, 32 runs and five stolen bases across 69 games.

Gelof (knee) started at second base and went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in a rehab game with Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Gelof made his first rehab appearance since hitting the shelf July 10 due to a right knee laceration and crushed a three-run shot in the fifth inning. The expectation is that the 26-year-old will need about 20 at-bats in the minors before returning to the big-league club, per MLB.com. He started Tuesday's contest at second base but has spent much of the season with the Athletics at third base and is also capable of playing the corner-outfield spots. Before landing on the injured list, Gelof slashed .273/.327/.476 with 11 home runs, 29 RBI, 41 runs and eight stolen bases across 67 games.

Arias started at third base and went 0-for-4 in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Mets.

Arias replaced the injured Jose Ramirez (hand) at the hot corner and it didn't go well for the Guardians. Arias' throwing error in the second inning led to three unearned runs, and at the plate, he left three runners in scoring position. Ramirez is experiencing soreness in his left hand, the same one he had surgery on in June to repair a hamate bone fracture.