MLB Player News

Smith (back) is not in the Rangers' starting lineup against the Rockies on Tuesday.

Smith will be out of Texas' lineup for a second consecutive game while nursing a sore lower back. Jake Burger will start at first base and bat seventh while Ezequiel Duran mans shortstop against Rockies southpaw Kyle Freeland.

Seager (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

This will be Seager's second IL stint of the season with a right hamstring strain. The last time he missed under two weeks. Josh Smith (back) and Ezequiel Duran should fill in at shortstop. Kyle Higashioka was recalled in a corresponding move.

Mayer is slashing .269/.333/.478 with seven home runs, one steal and a 19.3 percent strikeout rate in 34 games for Triple-A Worcester.

Perhaps more notable than Mayer's start to the season is the fact that Trevor Story was benched Tuesday amid a deep slump and David Hamilton, who has a 25 wRC+ in 20 games, got the start at shortstop in Story's place. It seems like things are aligning for Mayer to get a shot in the majors sooner rather than later.

Story is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Tigers.

Story had started seven games in a row and 40 of 43 games he was available for, but he is hitting .122 with a 35 percent strikeout rate over his last 18 games. David Hamilton, who is batting .180 this year, is starting at shortstop and batting eighth.

High-A Cedar Rapids placed Doncon on the 7-day injured list April 12 with an undisclosed injury.

The 21-year-old corner infielder hit .063 with one home run and a 44.4 percent strikeout rate in five games before landing on the shelf. Doncon hit .254 with 11 home runs, six steals and a 21.9 percent strikeout rate last year while splitting the year between Single-A and High-A.

The White Sox transferred Montgomery from the rookie-level Arizona Complex League to Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.

Montgomery will rejoin Charlotte for the first time since late April, after he was sent back to extended spring training to work on his swing mechanics upon slashing .149/.223/.255 with a 41.7 percent strikeout rate over 103 plate appearances to begin the International League season. The 23-year-old returned to action when the ACL season began earlier this month and appeared in five games, going 3-for-17 with a 2:4 BB:K. Despite the middling results in his limited sample of action in Arizona, the White Sox were evidently satisfied enough with Montgomery's plate approach to have him report back to Charlotte. If he can get back in track at Triple-A and keep his strikeouts in check, Montgomery could still be a candidate to make his MLB debut at some point later this season.

Duran started at shortstop and went 0-for-3 with a run scored in Monday's 2-1 win over the Rockies.

Duran make his second straight start in place of the injured Corey Seager (hamstring). Josh Smith is typically the next man up at shortstop, but he was unavailable Monday due to back soreness. Once or both of Seager and Smith return to action, Duran will likely see fewer opportunities in the Texas infield.

Volpe went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and two walks in Monday's 11-5 win over the Mariners.

Volpe ended a 12-game homer drought with his ninth-inning long ball to pad the Yankees' lead. The shortstop was steady during that stretch, batting .277 (13-for-47) with four doubles and three stolen bases. He's up to a .245/.335/.442 slash line with six homers, 24 RBI, 22 runs scored, six steals and 11 doubles over 40 contests. Volpe has hit safely in five of his last six games, logging three multi-hit efforts in that span.

Neto went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Monday's 9-5 win over the Padres.

Neto opened the scoring with a third-inning blast, but the Angels' lead was short-lived. This was a positive performance in the series opener for the shortstop, who went just 1-for-12 with a walk and three strikeouts over the three-game series versus the Orioles this past weekend. For the season, Neto is batting .279 with an .845 OPS, five homers, 10 RBI, 16 runs scored, seven stolen bases and five doubles over 22 contests.

Sweeney went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer in Monday's win against Boston.

Sweeney ripped a three-run shot during Detroit's nine-run third inning. He later singled in the fourth and eighth frames. Sweeney has been on a tear lately, producing five multi-hit games over his last seven appearances. That hot streak has boosted his season OPS from .600 to .735 with four home runs through 40 games.