MLB Player News

The Astros optioned Walter to Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Walters spun five scoreless frames and struck out five in a start Tuesday versus the Rays, but he nonetheless finds himself back in the minors a day later. The left-hander has likely earned future starts at some point later this season.

The Astros activated Whitley (knee) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Whitley has dealt with two separate knee injuries this season that have limited him to only one appearance with the Astros. He tossed two perfect innings with four strikeouts during his most recent rehab assignment and is ready to rejoin the Houston bullpen.

Dezenzo is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest at Tampa Bay.

Dezenzo's playing time has dipped lately, as he has now started every other game across the last five contests. Mauricio Dubon will cover left field and hit ninth for the Astros on Wednesday.

Jansen is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Astros.

Jansen caught both of the first two contests of the series, so he will get a breather in Wednesday's matinee. Ben Rortvedt will be behind the dish and bat ninth for the Rays.

Simpson (hand/face) will start in left field and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Astros, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Simpson will be back in the lineup for the first time since Saturday, when he exited early in the Rays' 4-0 win over the Marlins due to a sore hand and some facial injuries. He wasn't available for the series finale versus Miami on Sunday, but Simpson was deployed off the bench in both of the first two games against Houston and contributed a pair of stolen bases Monday. His absences from the lineup Monday and Tuesday likely had more to do with the Astros sending lefties to the hill, but the left-handed-hitting Simpson will pick up a start Wednesday against Houston right-hander Hunter Brown.

Caminero is out of the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Astros.

Caminero appears to be getting a routine day off after going just 1-for-16 at the plate across his last four games. Curtis Mead will replace Caminero at third base and will bat eighth in the series finale.

Buehler didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Mets, walking two batters and striking out four over 2.1 scoreless, no-hit innings before being ejected from the game for arguing balls and strikes.

The right-hander was looking good in his first big-league outing since April 26, racking up 16 called or swinging strikes among his 52 pitches, but it was a call Buehler didn't get against Juan Soto that brought his night to an abrupt end. The important takeaway from the performance was that Buehler's shoulder seemed healthy. He sports a 4.00 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 33:11 K:BB through 36 innings on the season, and he'll look to keep his emotions in check in his next start, which lines up to come at home this weekend against the Orioles.

Lynch is slated to start Wednesday's game against the Giants in San Francisco, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.

Lynch has 54 career MLB starts on his ledger, but he's made all but three of his 36 appearances out of the bullpen since the 2024 season and has pitched exclusively in relief so far in 2025. The recent moves of Cole Ragans (groin) and Seth Lugo (finger) to the injured list will temporarily create an opening in the rotation, and Lynch could serve as the Royals' No. 5 starter until one of two injured hurlers is activated. Lynch has maxed out at two innings out of the bullpen this season and hasn't recorded more than four outs in an appearance since May 3, so the Royals could look to cap him at around 40-to-50 pitches Wednesday and treat the game as more of a bullpen day. Taylor Clarke and Angel Zerpa should be relatively fresh out of the bullpen and would likely be capable of giving the Royals multiple innings, if needed.

Lawrence (1-2) took the loss Tuesday against the White Sox after allowing one run on six hits and no walks while striking out two in five innings.

Lawrence made his season debut with the Mariners after inking a minor-league contract with the club earlier this month, and he gave them five strong innings as a bulk reliever. The White Sox scratched a run across in the third inning and that proved to be the difference after the Mariners were shut out by Adrian Houser and the bullpen. Five innings tied for Lawrence's longest outing this season and he now has a 4.08 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 7:1 K:BB in 17.2 innings this season.

Eeles (knee) is 4-for-12 with two walks in four games for Single-A Fort Meyers during a rehab assignment.

Eeles began the season on the Triple-A injured list after undergoing offseason surgery to address a cartilage issue. It looks like he could be activated from the injured list and join Triple-A St. Paul soon.