MLB Player News

Newcomb will serve as the White Sox's opener for Sunday's game against the Mets, Brooke Fletcher of Chicago Sports Network reports.

The White Sox will deploy Newcomb as a starter for a second straight appearance and for the third time in his past four outings. He's made three total starts this season and hasn't covered more than three innings on any occasion, so he'll presumably be in line for another light workload Sunday. Erick Fedde is the leading candidate to pitch in bulk relief behind Newcomb.

Duran moved from third base to first base Saturday when Jake Burger (wrist) was removed after getting hit by a pitch.

Duran has played defense at four different positions over the last four contests and made his second appearance at first base. He hasn't been able to call any one position home this season but has thrived in a utility role and as a fill-in for injured starters. Lately, Duran has been filling in at the hot corner for Josh Jung (calf), but Cody Freeman could see more action there if Duran is needed across the diamond.

Perkins is expected to work in bulk relief Sunday in Houston behind left-hander Brady Basso, who is slated to start the game for the Athletics.

Perkins is primed for a second straight appearance out of the bullpen, after he and Basso worked in tandem the last time the fifth spot in the rotation came up during Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Royals. Basso covered the first 2.1 innings of that game before Perkins followed with 3.2 scoreless innings of relief. Perkins struck out four and yielded just one hit and one walk while tossing 53 pitches in what amounted to his lightest workload since the start of June.

Basso is listed as the Athletics' starting pitcher for Sunday's game in Houston, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Basso will make his third appearance of the season and his second in a row as a starter, but as on the other two occasions, he's likely to be deployed as more of an opener. He covered 2.1 innings and tossed 32 pitches in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Royals, and Basso should be in line for a similar workload Sunday. Jack Perkins is the expected bulk reliever once Basso exits the contest.

Genao started at shortstop for a second consecutive game and went 1-for-4 in Saturday's 4-3 win over Colorado.

Genao replaced Brayan Rocchio at shortstop for a second consecutive game. Rocchio, who's been the primary shortstop since early April after beginning the season at second base, has slumped in the second half with a .183/.230/.270 slash line over 30 games since the All-Star break. Meanwhile, Genao has a .315/.373/.426 slash line over 15 games since being called up earlier this month. Genao has also played second base since joining the Guardians, but Travis Bazzana has been more productive than Rocchio and is less susceptible to losing his job.

Velazquez went 3-for-4 with a walk, three home runs and four RBI for Triple-A Columbus on Saturday.

Velazquez has been mashing for the Clippers of late, going deep 16 times over the last 20 contests. He had just four home runs over his first 48 games for Columbus. With 27 homers combined between Double- and Triple-A this season, Velazquez should be a top candidate to join the Guardians when rosters expand Sept. 1. Cleveland currently ranks 29th in home runs (123), last in slugging (.369) and last in OPS (.682).

Culpepper went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Padres.

This was Culpepper's first homer since he hit one in his major-league debut Aug. 7. The infielder has adjusted well to the big leagues so far, batting .286 over 12 contests. He's added three RBI and five runs scored, but he has yet to attempt a stolen base after swiping 17 bags on 20 attempts over 74 games with Triple-A St. Paul to begin the year.

Keaschall went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a second RBI in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Padres.

Keaschall is up to eight homers this season, four of which have come over 18 games in August. He's batting .348 (23-for-66) this month to supplement his improved power hitting. The 24-year-old is batting .274 on the year, adding a .749 OPS, 38 RBI, 60 runs scored, 19 doubles, one triple and 14 stolen bases over 121 contests. Keaschall may be able to use his speed more if he sticks in the leadoff spot he's hit out of in the last five games.

Lee went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two total runs scored in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Padres.

This was Lee's first multi-hit effort in eight games after he logged four straight such performances from Aug. 9-12. The infielder has gone 18-for-68 (.265) in August, an improvement on his .247 average for the year. Lee has added a .729 OPS, 19 homers, 68 RBI, 56 runs scored, 20 doubles, three triples and seven stolen bases over 124 contests as a regular presence in the Twins' lineup.

Kremer allowed two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out five over 5.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Padres on Saturday.

Kremer has allowed just eight runs over 22.2 innings across four starts since he was traded to Minnesota from Baltimore. He likely deserved a better fate for his efforts Saturday, but the Twins' bullpen went into meltdown mode in the seventh and eighth innings. Kremer is at a 5.22 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 58:19 K:BB through 58.2 innings over 11 starts this season, but he's looked good with his new team. He's lined up to make his next start at home versus the White Sox.