MLB Player News

Kavadas is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Kavadas' grip on a strong-side platoon role may be slipping down the stretch; he'll hit the bench Wednesday for the second time in the Angels' last three matchups with right-handed pitchers. He'll cede his spot in the lineup to Matt Thaiss, who picks up a start at catcher while top backstop Logan O'Hoppe gets a day off behind the dish but sticks in the starting nine at designated hitter.

Adams (knee) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Adams will miss out on a fifth consecutive start while he continues to battle a sore right knee. Gustavo Campero will fill in for Adams in right field and will bat eighth.

Horwitz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Horwitz's streak of 11 consecutive starts will come to an end while he heads to the bench for the first time since Sept. 11. He'll cede his spot in the lineup to Tyler Heineman, who will handle catching duties while top backstop Alejandro Kirk gets a day off behind the plate but sticks in the starting nine as the Blue Jays' designated hitter.

Rodriguez went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's win over Houston.

Rodriguez extended his hitting streak to seven games with his ninth-inning homer, his 20th of the season, giving him his third straight 20-20 campaign to begin his career. After disappointing for most of the season, Rodriguez has finally found his groove as the Mariners make their final push towards the playoffs. The 23-year-old is 14-for-36 (.389) with four home runs, 13 RBI, eight runs scored and two stolen bases during his seven-game hitting streak, leading the Mariners to a 5-2 record to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The Twins designated Irvin for assignment Wednesday.

Irvin allowed five earned runs over just 3.2 innings during his brief time with the Twins, and he's now been DFA'd by two teams within the last 10 days. The left-hander carries a 5.11 ERA and 1.45 WHIP through 111 innings on the year and would not be eligible for the postseason if a contender claims him.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Wednesday that Varsho (shoulder) is expected to be close to a full participant for the start of spring training, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

Varsho underwent surgery on his right shoulder Monday, and though the extent of the procedure wasn't known at the time, the Blue Jays indicated that the 28-year-old required a standard rotator cuff repair, with no other damage being detected. While the lack of additional damage to his shoulder qualifies as good news for Varsho, he could still face a tight window to gain full clearance by the time position players report to camp in the second half of February. Any setbacks in the rehab process over the winter could put Varsho at risk of opening the 2025 season on the injured list.

The Twins optioned Headrick to Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday.

Headrick logged one appearance during his four-day stint in the big leagues, giving up one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out five batters over three innings. He'll now be sent back across the Mississippi River in favor of Jorge Alcala, who was recalled from Triple-A.

The Twins recalled Alcala from Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday.

Alcala owns a 6.75 ERA and 1.30 WHIP across 20 innings in the majors since the All-Star break, but he'll be called upon to give the Twins a fresh bullpen arm as they fight to secure a wild-card spot. He'll take the place of Brent Headrick, who was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Kikuchi (9-10) took the loss Wednesday against Seattle, allowing two unearned on four hits and one walk while striking out eight in six innings.

Kikuchi was excellent Wednesday, shutting out the Mariners through five innings before an unfortunate error in the sixth resulted in two unearned runs crossing the plate, giving Kikuchi his first loss since he was acquired by the Astros in late July. The 33-year-old veteran has been a revelation since coming over from Toronto at the All-Star break, posting a 5-1 record with an elite 2.70 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 76:14 K:BB in 60 innings (10 starts). The southpaw will close out the regular season with a 4.05 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a career-best 206 strikeouts in 175.2 innings (32 starts).

Grissom is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays.

Grissom had started each of the last three games at second base, going 4-for-11 with a walk, a double, two stolen bases, two RBI and one run. The Red Sox could rotate a number of players at second base down the stretch, including Ceddanne Rafaela. Though Rafaela made each of his last five starts in center field, he may end up seeing more time at the keystone at Grissom's expense now that Tyler O'Neill has been cleared to play the outfield Wednesday after recently being held out of the lineup or limited to designated-hitter duties due to a back issue. Rafaela will join Grissom on the bench Wednesday, however, as Enmanuel Valdez gets the nod at second base.