MLB Player News

Tolbert is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.

Tolbert filled in at shortstop for an injured Bobby Witt (back) during Tuesday's 3-2 win, going 0-for-3 while committing an error. Though Witt was moved to the 10-day injured list Wednesday, the Royals will instead go with new call-up Andrew Velazquez at shortstop over Tolbert in the series finale. Given that Tolbert has produced an excellent .328/.364/.443 slash line over 69 plate appearances on the season, he could still be a better bet than Velazquez to serve as Witt's primary replacement for the duration of his IL stint.

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

Rojas will cover third base for the third time in the past four games and could be making a push past Nick Loftin on the depth chart as the top option at the position while Maikel Garcia (hand) remains on the shelf. Over his last five contests, Rojas has gone 6-for-17 with a double, two runs and an RBI, but he's slashing an unremarkable .237/.256/.368 overall since being promoted from Triple-A Omaha on June 23.

Loftin is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Giants.

Loftin has been seeing the bulk of the reps at third base since Maikel Garcia (hand) went down, but he'll take a seat in the series finale. Josh Rojas is at the hot corner for the Royals.

The Royals selected Velazquez's contract from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday. He'll start at shortstop and bat ninth in the Royals' series finale versus the Giants.

The 32-year-old utility player will return to the majors for the first time since the 2023 season, when he appeared in 54 games with the Angels. Velazquez has played both middle-infield positions and all three outfield spots during his time in the minors with the Royals and Diamondbacks organizations this season, but he could end up seeing most of his playing time at shortstop while he's up with Kansas City. He'll enter the starting nine right away at shortstop in place of Bobby Witt (back), who was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Along with Velazquez, Tyler Tolbert will also be in the mix for reps at shortstop while Witt is on the shelf.

The Royals transferred Kolek (forearm) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.

Kolek made his most recent appearance for the Royals on July 2 before landing on the family medical emergency list a couple of days later. The right-hander was able to make a rehab start at Triple-A Omaha on Saturday, but he emerged from that outing with a right forearm strain and was moved to the Royals' 15-day injured list. Though Kolek remains without a clear timeline for a return while he weighs his treatment options for the injury, the Royals' decision to shift him to the 60-day injured list will keep him out until at least September. The transaction opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for infielder Andrew Velazquez, whose contract was selected from Triple-A.

Caglianone (shoulder) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Giants.

Caglianone injured his right shoulder on a diving attempt in the outfield during Tuesday's game. There's no word yet on the severity of the injury, but it's a good sign he wasn't placed on the injured list prior to Wednesday's contest. Consider Caglianone day-to-day for now. Starling Marte will play right field for the Royals in Wednesday's series finale.

The Royals placed Witt on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to low back tightness.

The durable Witt will go on the IL for the first time in his five-year career in the majors after he was held out of the lineup for Sunday's loss to the Padres due to the back issue and then aggravated the injury while returning to the starting nine for Monday's win over the Giants. The Royals haven't indicated that Witt's injury is any sort of long-term concern, so if he responds well to a week and a half of rest, he could be ready to come off the shelf when first eligible July 31. Tyler Tolbert and Andrew Velazquez are likely to share time at shortstop while Witt is out.

Schuemann is out of the lineup for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Pirates.

Schuemann appeared to be gaining more traction in the Yankees' everyday lineup heading into the All-Star break, but he now seems to have settled back into a reserve role. He'll be on the bench for the fourth time in five games while the Yankees have opened up more playing time for Paul Goldschmidt at his expense.

Goldschmidt is absent from the lineup for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Pirates.

Ben Rice will handle first base, and Spencer Jones will grab a start at designated hitter. Goldschmidt will likely be back in the lineup for the second game of the twin bill.

Smith struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his 29th save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Twins.

The 27-year-old closer fanned Kody Clemens as he extended his MLB saves lead, with the Padres' Mason Miller, the Rays' Bryan Baker and the Cardinals' Riley O'Brien tied for second with 25. Smith has allowed an earned run in only one of his last 10 appearances, and on the season he's produced a 2.72 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 66:11 K:BB over 46.1 innings.