MLB Player News

Diaz was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against the Red Sox, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

It's unclear why the Rays took Diaz out of the starting nine Saturday, but the team should provide more information in the near future. In the meantime, Jake Fraley will fill in as Tampa Bay's designated hitter and bat leadoff.

Rice went 2-for-3 with a home run, a triple, two walks, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 9-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Rice has three homers during his seven-game hitting streak, including Friday's solo shot. The slugger has also shown a little speed at times -- he's up to four triples on the year after his three-bagger. On the year, Rice is batting .264 with an .897 OPS, 39 homers, 94 RBI, 100 runs scored, 22 doubles and three stolen bases over 146 contests, building upon his breakout from 2025.

Pederson (hand) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Blue Jays.

Pederson hasn't played since last Saturday but remains day-to-day for Texas. Josh Jung is handling DH duties for the Rangers on Friday, with Ezequiel Duran leading off and playing third base.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Royals.

Alvarez extended Houston's lead to 4-1 in the fifth inning with a 375-foot shot off Seth Lugo, his career-high 40th this season. Over his last six games, Alvarez has gone 6-for-19 (.316) with a pair of homers and a 1.172 OPS. He'll have his sights set on the AL Triple-Crown down the stretch -- Alvarez leads the league with a .311 batting average, while he's second in both home runs and RBI (99).

Pederson (hand) is not yet swinging a bat, but the swelling in his left hand has gone down over the past few days, MLB.com reports.

Pederson missed a fourth consecutive game Thursday after suffering a slight fracture of his left hand Saturday when he was hit by a pitch. The first three of those four missed contests were against left-handers, so Pederson would not have been in the starting lineup anyway, but he was replaced at DH on Thursday by Josh Jung against Boston right-hander Sonny Gray. The Rangers are scheduled to face another right-hander Friday, Toronto's Dylan Cease.

Pederson (hand) is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox.

Pederson suffered a small fracture in his left hand when he was hit by a pitch Saturday. He hasn't played since then, but the Rangers are facing a righty in Sonny Gray for the first time during that span. Pederson is aiming to play through the injury, but clearly he's not feeling well enough to do so just yet. Josh Jung is slotting in at designated hitter for Texas on Thursday.

Pham went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Guardians.

Getting the start at DH and batting cleanup against Parker Messick, Pham produced all the offense for the White Sox when he took the southpaw deep in the fifth inning. It was Pham's first long ball in the majors this season in his 11th game, and he'll likely continue to be deployed as a short-side platoon option over the final days of the regular season as Chicago tries to make the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

Rooker (knee) was cleared to begin a hitting progression Wednesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Rooker won't have enough time to return this season from a cartilage tear in his left knee that he suffered in June, but his return to hitting is an encouraging sign that he'll be ready to go by Opening Day. The A's are optimistic that he will be cleared for batting practice before the end of the season.

The White Sox activated Pham (calf) from the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

Pham required just a minimum 10-day stay on the IL with a left calf strain. He will start at designated hitter and bat cleanup Wednesday in the series finale in Cleveland.

Alvarez went 1-for-2 with a two-run homer and two walks during Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Royals.

Coming into this game with just three homers over his last 30 games, Alvarez clubbed his team-high 39th homer of the campaign Tuesday. Despite his recent struggles to produce the long ball, the 29-year-old has reached base safely in 11 of his last 12 games. This year, Alvarez is batting .310/.429/.594 with 39 homers and 98 RBI over 643 plate appearances.