MLB Player News

Rafaela is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Rafaela started the previous five games but will sit Sunday after going 2-for-16 with a double and a homer during that span. Nick Sogard will receive a start at shortstop while Romy Gonzalez mans the keystone.

O'Neill is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

O'Neill started the past seven contests after missing a couple games due to finger inflammation, but his absence from Sunday's series finale is maintenance-related, per Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. Rob Refsnyder will start in left field and bat third against Detroit opener Beau Brieske.

The Guardians reinstated Cobb (finger) from the 15-day injured list to start Sunday against the Pirates, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander landed on the injured list due to a fractured fingernail after his Aug. 14 start against the Cubs, but he'll rejoin the rotation after missing little more than the 15-day minimum. Cobb struggled in his season debut at Minnesota in early August with four earned runs allowed across 4.2 innings, but he pitched much better versus Chicago, as he gave up just one run in 5.2 frames.

Alexander (shoulder) will face hitters Monday before a decision is made on whether he'll need a rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.

The veteran southpaw came away from a 20-pitch bullpen session Friday feeling healthy, leading to the decision regarding Monday's bump up in activity level. If Alexander emerges from the live batting practice session setback-free, he could conceivably skip a rehab assignment altogether, given he's only been sidelined since Aug. 20 and wouldn't need to build back up for his relief role.

Manzardo was recalled from Triple-A Columbus and is batting sixth as the designated hitter against the Pirates on Sunday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The 24-year-old is one of the organization's top prospects and will immediately enter the lineup as he joins the big club for the stretch run. Manzardo posted a .207/.241/.329 slash line with a 26.4 percent strikeout rate over 30 games in his first taste of the big leagues earlier this season, and he isn't guaranteed to have a regular place in the lineup.

Moore went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run in a loss to the Angels on Saturday.

The veteran slotted in at the keystone and delivered his second double in the last three games as part of his first multi-hit effort since Aug. 9. Moore also recorded his career-high 28th steal following his fourth-inning single, allowing him to close out August with an impressive eight pilfers in 11 attempts across 23 games. Moore's defensive versatility and above-average pop should continue affording him near-everyday playing time during the final month of the regular season.

Adell went 2-for-3 with two solo home runs in Saturday's win over Seattle.

Adell was a thorn in Bryan Woo's side throughout the contest, tagging the right-hander for solo homers in the third and and sixth innings as the Angels took care of business at home. It marked the first two-home run performance for Adell this season, and he's now up to 20 long balls overall on the campaign. The outfielder finished the month of August with four homers, 14 RBI and 12 runs scored, batting .277 over that stretch.

Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with a two-run single in a loss to the Angels on Saturday.

After slugging homers in back-to-back games Wednesday and Friday, Rodriguez got it done with some effective small ball Saturday via his trio of singles. The surging outfielder extended the Mariners' lead to 4-1 in the fourth inning with a timely knock that plated Dylan Moore and Victor Robles, affording Rodriguez his third straight two-RBI tally. Angels pitchers will be glad to be rid of Rodriguez following Sunday's series finale, as he's reached safely a whopping eight times across his first 10 plate appearances over the first two games against Los Angeles.

Moniak went 2-for-4 with two homers and three RBI in Saturday's win over the Mariners.

Moniak grounded out in each of his first two trips to the plate before crushing a two-run shot in the seventh to tie things up and give him his second consecutive game with a home run. He then walked it off for the Angels in the ninth with his second long ball of the night. The outfielder has been scorching hot at the plate as of late and has now recorded multiple hits in four straight, homering four times over that stretch while driving in seven runs. Moniak has also tallied at least one RBI in each of his last four contests.

Ferguson (2-2) took the loss against the Rangers on Saturday, allowing an earned run on two hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch over 1.1 innings. He struck out three.

It was the ultimate tale of two innings for Ferguson, who opened his appearance by striking out Corey Seager, Josh Smith and Adolis Garcia swinging on 12 pitches in the eighth inning to preserve a 2-2 tie. However, he never came close to replicating the feat in the ninth, putting three of the first four hitters he faced on before surrendering a game-winning single to Leody Taveras. It was the second time in three outings that Ferguson gave up a run following a 10-appearance scoreless streak that had encompassed the majority of August. Despite Saturday's hiccup, Ferguson should remain the top setup option to closer Mason Miller over the season's final month unless he goes on an extended stretch of poor performances.