MLB Player News

Cole is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rangers.

After being called up from Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, Cole drew three straight starts in left field during the Astros' weekend series with Atlanta, going 4-for-10 with a home run, two walks, two runs, four RBI and two runs. Despite the strong start to his time in the big leagues, Cole could have difficulty carving out an everyday role while the Astros are nearing a return to full health. The Astros could Isaac Paredes (hamstring) back from the injured list as soon as this weekend, which would only further block Cole's path to regular at-bats.

Rutschman (oblique) will start his rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Rutschman has been working through a mild right oblique strain since mid-August. He participated in batting practice over the weekend, and the 27-year-old catcher has progressed enough in his recovery to embark on a rehab assignment. Per Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun, Rutschman is expected to be with Norfolk for about a week before being activated from the 10-day IL.

Higashioka is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros.

Higashioka will get a break for the series opener in Houston after he caught eight innings and went 1-for-4 at the dish in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Mets. Jonah Heim will step in for Higashioka behind the dish Monday.

Freeman is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros.

After going 7-for-25 (.280 average) with two doubles and three RBI while starting in each of the last seven games, Freeman will get a breather for the series opener in Houston. Dylan Moore will get the nod at second base at Freeman's expense.

Helman is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros.

Following a stretch of six consecutive starts during which he went 7-for-19 with two home runs, two doubles, one walk, nine RBI and three runs, Helman will open a second straight game on the bench while the Rangers match up with a right-handed starter (Jason Alexander). Despite not starting in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Mets in 10 innings, Helman still made an impact off the bench, going 1-for-2 with a run scored. Like he did in Sunday's game, Helman will be a candidate to pinch hit for starting left fielder Alejandro Osuna at some point in Monday's contest.

Jeffers hasn't been fully cleared from concussion protocol but is going through most baseball activities, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Those activities include batting practice, which Jeffers took Monday. Jeffers won't be allowed to return from the 7-day injured list until he's fully cleared, but it seems that could happen soon. With Christian Vazquez (shoulder) also out, the Twins have been using Jhonny Pereda and Mickey Gasper at catcher.

Bichette is receiving a second opinion on his injured left knee from Dr. Dan Cooper in Dallas on Monday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The initial diagnosis on Bichette is that he's dealing with a sprained PCL, and the Blue Jays hope to have a better idea as to the shortstop's timeline for a return after his visit with a specialist Monday. Bichette plans to rejoin the Blue Jays in Tampa Bay this week, but it seems unlikely he'll be activated from the 10-day injured list when first eligible Wednesday. With Bichette sidelined, Andres Gimenez has handled shortstop in each of Toronto's last three games.

Taylor (groin) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session Monday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Taylor had to be removed from an outing last Wednesday due to a right groin strain and hasn't made an appearance since. The White Sox will see how the reliever rebounds Tuesday before determining when he might be available to pitch again.

Burke will pitch in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Tyler Gilbert in Monday's game against the Orioles, Jack Antony of SI.com reports.

The White Sox called up Burke from Triple-A Charlotte last week to fill the opening in the rotation, and the right-hander served as a traditional starter in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Rays. He took a no-decision in that outing, striking out five while allowing three earned runs on five hits -- including two home runs -- and four walks over 4.1 innings. Since Gilbert is unlikely to cover more than an inning or two before exiting the contest, Burke should have a good chance at matching the workload he handled in his previous appearance as a starter, and he could deliver better results since he'll likely be facing the bottom of the Baltimore lineup when he enters the contest.

The Angels designated Wallach for assignment Monday.

Wallach provided catching depth over the weekend while Logan O'Hoppe (concussion) and Travis d'Arnaud (concussion) were sidelined, but with O'Hoppe cleared to return, Wallach is no longer needed. He caught two innings during his brief time with the big club but didn't receive a plate appearance.