MLB Player News

Romo is absent from the lineup for Monday's contest versus the Yankees.

Romo and Edgar Quero have split catching duties down the middle since Kyle Teel (ankle) went down, drawing three starts apiece. It will be Quero behind the dish in Monday's series opener.

The Blue Jays reinstated Scherzer (back/thumb) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Monday in Washington, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Scherzer will be making just his seventh start of the season for the Blue Jays and his first since June 10 after an extended stay on the shelf due to back spasms in addition to a thumb issue that cropped up during his rehab. The veteran righty surrendered seven runs (six earned) over the first two starts of his rehab assignment, but he proved that he was ready to rejoin the big club after striking out seven over five perfect innings during his most recent outing with Triple-A Buffalo last Wednesday. Scherzer tossed 56 pitches in that rehab start, so he'll likely be in store for a suppressed workload Monday as he slots back into the Toronto rotation.

Montgomery (shin) will start at designated hitter and bat cleanup in Monday's tilt against the Yankees.

Montgomery exited Saturday's game versus the Astros after fouling a ball off his right shin and then sat out Sunday's contest. He's ready to roll now for the series opener against the Bronx Bombers.

Montero is slated to start Monday's game against the Orioles in Detroit, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Montero had made five straight appearances out of the Detroit bullpen before being thrust into the rotation last Wednesday in Chicago. The right-hander turned in a gem of an outing in a win over the Cubs, striking out eight batters across 5.1 innings while permitting just one earned run on three hits and no walks. Though Jack Flaherty (forearm) is reportedly eyeing a minimum-length stay on the 15-day injured list, Montero will serve as the Tigers' No. 5 starter for the time being and tentatively lines up for a two-start week. After Monday's outing, Montero is on track to take the hill again during Sunday's series finale versus the Athletics in hitter-friendly Sacramento.

Cowser is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers.

Cowser's grip on a strong-side platoon role in the Baltimore outfield may be starting to slip. He'll be on the bench for the second time in the Orioles' last three matchups with right-handed pitchers, after mustering just three hits in 33 at-bats while striking out at a 31.7 percent clip so far in July. Leody Taveras will get the nod in center field over Cowser in the series opener in Detroit.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Monday that Carpenter is being evaluated for plantar fasciitis in his left foot and is trending toward a stint on the injured list, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Detroit plans to re-evaluate Carpenter on Tuesday before making any roster moves, but Eduardo Valencia is en route from Triple-A Toledo and is expected to be formally recalled in the likely event Carpenter goes on the IL. The 28-year-old slugger made an early exit in Sunday's loss to the Royals due to what was referred to as an aggravation of a bruised right heel, but Hinch indicated that Carpenter is believed to be dealing with a slightly different injury. Along with Valencia, Carpenter's expected move to the IL could open up more reps for the likes of Matt Vierling and Hao-Yu Lee, both of whom are included in the lineup for Monday's series opener versus the Orioles.

Encarnacion-Strand is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers.

Coby Mayo will receive the nod at third base Monday, but Encarnacion-Strand may have at least temporarily leapfrogged him on the depth chart at third base following a hot start at the plate to begin his tenure with the Orioles. Since being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on July 16, Encarnacion-Strand is hitting .370 with three home runs and nine RBI across 30 plate appearances. Though Encarnacion-Strand could be a strong source of power while he's playing regularly, fantasy managers should anticipate a sharp downturn in his batting average, after he had struck out at a 30.4 percent clip over a larger sample of 260 plate appearances at Norfolk prior to his promotion.

Carpenter (heel) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Orioles.

Carpenter will need at least one day off after he was lifted following the fourth inning of Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Royals due to right heel discomfort. Per MLB.com, Carpenter had recently been playing through a painful bruise on the same foot, which was caused by a pair of new cleats. Carpenter was set to undergo a more thorough evaluation of heel Monday, and the Tigers are classifying him as day-to-day for the time being.

Torres is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Orioles.

The Tigers have been careful not to overexert Torres since he rejoined the big club last Monday following a month-long stint on the injured list due to an oblique strain. He'll sit for the second time since being activated, and the Tigers have also deployed him at designated hitter in two of his first six starts following his return. Detroit will go with Riley Greene in the DH spot Monday, while Hao-Yu Lee steps in at second base.

The Orioles designated Huff for assignment Monday.

Touted as a bat-first catcher, Huff had been abysmal across 14 games in the big leagues this season, batting just .121 while striking out in 19 of his 34 plate appearances. Though the Orioles remain without their top two backstops in Adley Rutschman (wrist) and Samuel Basallo (shoulder), Huff hadn't produced well enough to justify sticking around in the big leagues. Baltimore recalled recent waiver pickup Yohel Pozo from Double-A Chesapeake in a corresponding move, and he'll join Chadwick Tromp as the team's available options behind the plate until one of Rutschman or Basallo returns.