MLB Player News

Vierling is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's contest against the Rays.

Vierling started six of the last seven games, including three of the last four versus righties, but he'll grab a seat for this one as the Rays send right-hander Ryan Pepiot to the bump. Zach McKinstry is at third base and Wenceel Perez is in right field for Detroit.

Jung is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rays.

Jung has now been absent from the Tigers' lineup for seven of the last 10 games. The rookie has just a .675 OPS and 31.5 percent strikeout rate in his first 31 big-league contests. Zach McKinstry is handling third base Tuesday as manager A.J. Hinch continues to mix and match at the hot corner.

Sogard started at third base and went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Monday's 4-1 win over the Blue Jays.

Sogard led off the fourth inning with a double and scored Boston's third run. He's 3-for-7 with three doubles over the last two games, which included a turn at shortstop in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader sweep of the Twins. Sogard will operate as a utility infielder, while Romy Gonzalez, who started at third base the first three contests after Rafael Devers (shoulder) landed on the injured list, appears to be the preferred option at the hot corner.

Grissom started at second base and went 0-for-3 with an RBI in Monday's 4-1 win over Toronto.

Grissom knocked in Boston's first run with a sacrifice fly in the second inning. It was his first RBI since rejoining the Red Sox late last week. He's been in the lineup three consecutive days, including the nightcap of Sunday's doubleheader, and should get plenty of opportunities at second base over the final week of the regular season. The position, which he had been expected to fill prior to injuries flaring up in spring training, has been a revolving door for Boston in 2024. Grissom is looking to build off a month of sustained success at Triple-A Worcester, for whom he batted .366/.489/.549 with 18 walks, four home runs, 18 RBI and 17 runs scored over 21 games before his elevation to the majors.

Abreu went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, an RBI and a run scored in Monday's 4-1 win over the Blue Jays.

Abreu walked and scored Boston's first run in the second inning then doubled in the eventual winning run an inning later. This was just the second multi-hit game of September for Abreu, who is tailing off in the final month of his first full season in the majors. The lefty-hitting outfielder is batting .196/.258/.304 with five RBI and five runs over the last 20 contests.

Duran went 2-for-5 with a double and a triple Monday against the Blue Jays.

The 28-year-old outfielder collected a double and a triple, just his fourth and fifth extra-base hits this month. The double extended his league-leading total to 47, while his 14th triple pulled him even with Corbin Carroll for the league lead. Duran broke out with an .828 OPS in 102 contests last season, and he's built on that in 2024 with a .286 average while posting 82 total extra-base hits (including 21 homers), 75 RBI, 107 runs and 34 stolen bases through 155 games.

Bassitt (10-14) took the loss Monday, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and seven walks over 4.1 innings against the Red Sox. He struck out two.

Bassitt walked a career-high seven batters and failed to complete five innings for the second consecutive start, allowing single runs in the second, third and fourth innings prior to being pulled with one out and two men on in the fifth. The 35-year-old righty holds a 4.16 ERA and 1.46 WHIP, the first time his ERA has moved above four and his WHIP above 1.24 since 2016. Bassitt is in line to make one more start on the final day of the regular season against the Marlins.

Houck (9-10) earned the win Monday, allowing one hit and one walk across five scoreless innings against the Blue Jays. He did not record a strikeout.

Houck was efficient Monday, needing just 57 pitches to complete five frames while allowing only two Blue Jays to reach base. It was the first performance this season where Houck, who came into the game recording a career-low 8.0 K/9, did not record a strikeout. The Red Sox have been careful with Houck, who has been held to 60 and 57 pitches over his last two starts since missing two weeks with shoulder fatigue. The righty has performed as Boston's best starter this season, posting a 3.12 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 154 strikeouts across 178.2 innings and 30 starts. He is in line to make one more turn in the rotation this season at home against Tampa, assuming the Red Sox don't elect to end his campaign a bit early.

Heyward went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's 6-1 loss to the Mariners.

Heyward got the Astros on the board in the eighth inning with his third homer in his last 10 games. In that span, he's gone 8-for-26 (.308) with five RBI. The veteran outfielder is up to a .212/.290/.406 slash line with nine homers, 35 RBI, 32 runs scored and five stolen bases over 246 plate appearances between the Astros and the Dodgers this year. Heyward may see more steady playing time in the short term while Yordan Alvarez is sidelined by a knee sprain, which is expected to keep him out for the rest of this series versus the Mariners.

Alvarez has been diagnosed with a right knee sprain Monday and won't be available for at least the next two games, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

The Astros aren't ruling out a return for Alvarez during the team's final three-game series against the Guardians, but the club will shut him down for at least a few more days after tests revealed a sprain. Jon Singleton slotted in to the DH slot Monday night in Alvarez's absence and Victor Caratini got the nod at first base, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see these two continue to see at-bats at either spot until Alvarez is cleared to return.