MLB Player News

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

Fortes will stay in the starting nine for the fourth time in five games, with three of those starts having come against right-handed pitching. At least for the time being, Fortes appears to have moved out of the short side of a platoon at catcher and seems to have leapfrogged Hunter Feduccia on the depth chart.

Feduccia is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

Feduccia will be on the bench while the Red Sox send southpaw Connelly Early to the bump, but the left-handed-hitting catcher had been left out of the lineup in three of the previous four matchups versus right-handed pitchers. Rather than opting for a platoon at catcher, the Rays may be moving toward leaning more heavily on Nick Fortes behind the dish.

Simpson (thumb) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

The Rays will hold Simpson out of the starting nine for a third straight game while he manages a sore left thumb, but as was the case in the prior two contests, he's expected to remain available off the bench. Tampa Bay called up Austin Slater from Triple-A Durham on Monday and will have him cover Simpson's usual spot in left field in the series opener versus Boston.

Moncada (knee) has been running and hitting off a tee from the left side, per MLB.com.

Moncada was placed on the 10-day IL on May 22 due to right knee inflammation. He's since been able to resume doing some running and hitting, though it's unclear how close he is to returning to game action. Donovan Walton and Nick Madrigal have been handling third base for the Angels while Moncada has been sidelined.

The Red Sox optioned La Sorsa to Triple-A Worcester on Monday.

La Sorsa was just added to the Boston roster last week and made just one appearance, giving up a solo home run to one of the two batters he faced. The lefty reliever is being replaced on the active roster by utility player Nate Eaton, who was recalled from Worcester.

Schmidt (elbow) has been "feeling great" during recent mound sessions and could start throwing to hitters by the end of June, per MLB.com.

Schmidt continues to recover from the internal brace procedure he underwent last July. The right-handed hurler has been throwing from a mound since early April and most recently had a 20-pitch session. If all goes well moving forward, Schmidt could be ready to be activated from the 60-day IL sometime in August.

Wells' (headaches) MRI on Tuesday came back negative, per MLB.com.

Wells was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to cervical headaches. He'd already received a negative concussion test, and now an MRI has also returned clean. Wells isn't traveling with the team on its current road trip, and it remains to be seen if he'll need more than a minimum IL stay.

The Rays transferred Heasley (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.

Initially deactivated last Tuesday after being diagnosed with a right elbow stress reaction, Heasley still remains without a clear timeline for a return, but his move to the 60-day IL ensures he'll be shelved through at least July 27. In a corresponding 40-man roster move, the Rays selected outfielder Austin Slater's contract from Triple-A Durham.

The Rays selected Slater's contract from Triple-A Durham on Monday.

The Rays are scheduled to face all lefty starting pitchers during their three-game set versus the Red Sox, so the right-handed-hitting Slater should be busy. He's sporting an underwhelming .209/.286/.233 batting line through 49 plate appearances in the majors this season.

The Rays optioned Dunn to Triple-A Durham on Monday.

Dunn made only one start during his two-plus weeks with the big club and was just 1-for-11 at the plate in nine contests. He's being sent out in favor of Austin Slater.