MLB Player News

Lopez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.

The Rangers will keep Lopez on the bench for a fifth consecutive game. Two of his absences from the lineup have come against right-handed pitchers, so the left-handed-hitting Lopez may have lost his grip on a strong-side platoon role in the Texas infield. Lopez's downturn in playing time comes while he's struggled to a .111/.167/.148 slash line over his last 23 games.

Jansen is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.

Since coming off the 60-day injured list last Tuesday, Jansen has yet to start consecutive games behind the plate. Jansen -- who has posted a career-worst .548 OPS over 152 plate appearances on the season -- looks like he could be part of a three-headed timeshare at catcher with Elias Diaz and Logan O'Hoppe.

Whitlock (elbow) will throw a live batting practice session Wednesday in Miami, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Whitlock has bounced back quickly after landing on the 15-day injured list in mid-August with right elbow inflammation. If all goes well when he faces hitters Wednesday, Whitlock has a chance to avoid a rehab assignment and return to the active roster as soon as this weekend. The right-handed reliever has been terrific this season in a setup role, authoring a 2.05 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 49:7 K:BB across 44 innings.

The Athletics announced Monday that Langeliers (knee) has begun hitting and throwing progressions, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Langeliers is four weeks removed from undergoing a meniscectomy for his right knee. The Athletics haven't ruled out a late-season return for the All-Star catcher, but even in a best-case scenario, he would likely make it back for only a handful of games. Langeliers has clubbed 23 home runs while collecting an .829 OPS across 93 contests this season.

Diaz will start at catcher and bat eighth in Monday's game versus the White Sox.

Diaz is earning a second start in a row after homering in Sunday's win over the Angels. It's the first time since Danny Jansen returned from the injured list last week that either he or Diaz has started two straight tilts. Logan O'Hoppe is also on the Rangers' active roster, and the club could continue to rotate the three players in the catcher spot.

Mullins is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

The Rays will keep Mullins on the bench along with fellow left-handed hitters Liam Hicks and Richie Palacios while the Tigers send lefty Framber Valdez to the bump for the series opener. Jonny DeLuca will spell Mullins in center field and will bat cleanup.

Palacios is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

The Rays will keep Palacios on the bench along with fellow left-handed hitters Liam Hicks and Cedric Mullins while the Tigers send lefty Framber Valdez to the bump for the series opener. Jorge Mateo will fill in for Palacios at second base and will bat sixth.

Hicks is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

The Rays will keep Hicks on the bench along with fellow left-handed hitters Richie Palacios and Cedric Mullins while the Tigers send lefty Framber Valdez to the bump for the series opener. Nick Fortes will spell Hicks behind the plate and will bat seventh.

Fortes will start at catcher and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Tigers, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

With lefty Framber Valdez on the hill for the Tigers, the Rays will send the left-handed-hitting Liam Hicks to the bench to open up a start for Fortes behind the plate. So long as Hicks is healthy, Fortes is likely to see the bulk of his playing time versus lefties, against whom he's slashing .254/.321/.339 across 133 plate appearances on the season.

The Tigers designated Vanasco for assignment Monday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of new signee Tyler Kinley. Vanasco has made five appearances for Detroit this season, getting tagged for 12 runs (11 earned) with a 4:6 K:BB over 6.1 innings.