MLB Player News

Lukes is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

After starting and batting leadoff in each of the Blue Jays' last three games, the left-handed-hitting Lukes will head to the bench for the series finale while the Cubs send lefty Matthew Boyd to the bump. Toronto will roll out an outfield of Davis Schneider, Myles Straw and Joey Loperfido from left to right in Thursday's contest.

Varsho is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

The left-handed-hitting Varsho had started in each of Toronto's last five games -- including two matchups with left-handed pitchers -- but he'll head to the bench Thursday while southpaw Matthew Boyd takes the hill for the Cubs in the matinee contest. Myles Straw will replace Varsho in center field and will bat seventh.

Gimenez is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Cubs.

Gimenez started in the first two games of the series upon his return from the injured list, but the left-handed hitter will take a seat Thursday as the Cubs send southpaw Matthew Boyd to the bump. Ernie Clement will step in at second base for the Blue Jays.

Kirk is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Cubs.

Kirk started at catcher in both of the first two games of the series, so he'll get a breather in Thursday's finale. Tyler Heineman will fill in behind the dish and will bat eighth in the rubber match.

Johnson will start in center field and bat sixth in Thursday's game against the Mariners.

Johnson will cover center field for a second straight game after he started and went 0-for-2 in his Orioles debut in Wednesday's 4-3 win. With Colton Cowser (concussion) and Tyler O'Neill (wrist) on the injured list and the Orioles having received little production in the outfield from the likes of Dylan Carlson, Greg Allen and Ryan Noda of late, Johnson could get the chance to play regularly.

Rutschman is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Mariners.

Rutschman has gone 1-for-14 at the dish over his last four games, so he will get a day off Thursday to regroup. Alex Jackson will start at catcher and bat ninth for the rubber match in Seattle.

Garver will start at catcher and bat seventh in Thursday's game against the Orioles.

With star backstop Cal Raleigh getting a rare rest day as the Mariners conclude their series in Baltimore with a day game after a night game, Garver will receive a turn behind the plate. Since the All-Star break, Garver has struggled to get much going offensively while seeing inconsistent playing time, slashing just .184/.273/.289 with a home run and a 4:14 BB:K over 44 plate appearances.

Bohorquez, who was promoted to High-A Cedar Rapids on Aug. 4, has a 1.76 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 31:5 K:BB in 30.2 innings across his last seven starts.

Bohorquez issued 17 walks in his first 20 innings this season at Single-A Fort Myers, but something has clicked lately for the 20-year-old righty. A sturdy 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Bohorquez has a plus curveball and his fastball has been up to 97 mph in recent starts, although his third-pitch cutter lags behind as a fringe-average offering.

Manoah (elbow) struck out one batter over 1.2 innings and 49 pitches in his rehab start Wednesday for Triple-A Buffalo while allowing three earned runs on two hits, three walks and a hit batsman.

Making his fourth rehab start with his fourth different affiliate, Manoah displayed wayward control, which has been a recurring theme since he kicked off his minor-league assignment July 14. He now holds an 11.57 ERA, 2.71 WHIP and 6:8 K:BB across seven innings through four starts, showing little resemblance to the pitcher who earned an All-Star nod in 2022. Manoah's 30-day rehab window has come to a close, though as Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca notes, the Blue Jays will have the ability to extend his assignment in 10-day increments until his rehab reaches 60 days. The 27-year-old still has two minor-league options remaining, and given the poor form he's displayed thus far on his rehab assignment, he'll likely stay with Buffalo once Toronto formally activates him from the 60-day injured list.

Raleigh is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game in Baltimore.

Following a stretch of three straight games with a home run, Raleigh has gone 0-for-8 in the first two games of the series. He'll get a rare breather in Thursday's series finale, with Mitch Garver getting a turn at catcher in Raleigh's stead.