MLB Player News

Kirk isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Giants.

Kirk will get a break Tuesday after going 0-for-7 with a walk across his last two starts. Brandon Valenzuela will replace him behind the plate and bat fifth.

The Blue Jays recalled Dallas from Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday.

Dallas conceded one earned run in 3.2 innings during his MLB debut June 4 and has since given up just one run in 13.2 frames at Triple-A. His strong performance will now buy him another look in the majors, presumably as a long-relief option. Yohendrick Pinango was optioned to Buffalo in a corresponding move.

The Blue Jays optioned Pinango to Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday.

Pinango has gone just 4-for-23 (.174) in eight games since his return to the big leagues, and he'll now end up as the roster casualty necessary to clear space for Chad Dallas. The 24-year-old Pinango still owns a .726 OPS with Toronto this season and figures to return to the majors later in the year.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Nationals, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Diaz will take a seat Tuesday after starting five of the previous six games and going 4-for-18 with two homers and five RBI during that span. Christian Vazquez is starting behind the plate and batting ninth for Houston.

Triple-A St. Paul placed Culpepper (hand) on the 7-day injured list Tuesday with a glute injury, Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.

The 23-year-old hasn't seen the field for St. Paul since last week after being hit by a pitch on the hand, but his move to the injured list is actually due to an aggravation of the glute injury he initially sustained in mid-June. It's unclear how long Culpepper is expected to be sidelined this time around, but it's likely to be longer than the 7-day minimum given that it's a recurrence of a prior injury.

Sousa (elbow) struck out one over a scoreless inning in a rehab appearance Sunday with Triple-A Sugar Land.

Sousa has been on the injured list since May 9 due to left elbow inflammation and will likely need to make multiple rehab appearances before the Astros are comfortable activating him. Before hitting the shelf, the southpaw reliever posted an 8.10 ERA and 2.40 WHIP in 3.1 innings over five appearances for Houston.

Langford (hamstring) ran at a high intensity Tuesday and hopes to be reinstated before the All-Star break begins next week, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Manager Skip Schumaker indicated last week that Langford would be out through the midseason break due to the left hamstring strain, but the outfielder has apparently made significant progress in his recovery over the past few days. Langford will likely need to pass every test in his rehab with flying colors the next few days for the Rangers to seriously consider reinstating him for the final games before the All-Star break.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said Tuesday that Soderstrom (hip) is progressing well with his baseball activities and could return to the active roster "very soon," Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Soderstrom has been hitting, running and going through outfield drills without any apparent issues with his left hip impingement. He's eligible for activation from the 10-day injured list now, but it's possible Soderstrom will be asked to go out on a rehab assignment first. The Athletics should have more clarity on a timeline for the outfielder later this week.

Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said Sunday that Stephen (elbow) will undergo UCL surgery during the upcoming week, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Antonetti noted that a decision on whether Stephen requires a UCL repair or reconstruction will be determined once Dr. Keith Meister gets a chance to get a closer look at the right-hander's elbow before surgery is performed. Stephen will miss the rest of the season regardless of the specifics of his procedure, though a repair could shave a few months off his recovery timeline and give him a chance at returning to action at some point during the 2027 campaign. The 23-year-old submitted a 3.27 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 49:23 K:BB in 55 innings over 12 starts for Double-A Akron before landing on the injured list June 10.

The Twins recalled Roden from Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday, Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.

Roden missed time earlier this season with a shoulder injury but has been excellent when healthy, slashing .272/.397/.512 with eight home runs and a 24:25 BB:K over 33 games with St. Paul. The 26-year-old can handle all three outfield spots and could get some looks in center field while Byron Buxton (hip) is sidelined.