MLB Player News

Foscue is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Astros.

Foscue had made 11 consecutive starts at second base, but he will begin Wednesday's festivities on the bench. Newcomer Nicky Lopez will draw the start at the keystone for the Rangers.

The Angels designated Lugo for assignment Wednesday.

The transaction clears space on the 40-man roster for the addition of Nick Madrigal. Lugo has spent most of this season at Double-A Rocket City, slashing .258/.382/.406 with three home runs, 11 steals and a 23:40 BB:K over 39 games. He just turned 25 and was once a prospect of some note, so Lugo could draw interest via waivers.

The Angels selected Madrigal's contract from Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday.

Madrigal earned a promotion after slashing .275/.353/.366 with two home runs and an 18:8 BB:K over 38 games with Salt Lake. With Vaughn Grissom needed at first base to cover for the injured Nolan Schanuel (ankle), Madrigal will provide depth at second and third base.

The Angels placed Schanuel on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with left ankle inflammation.

Schanuel hasn't played since Saturday due to what had been described as a calf injury. It turns out the issue is more focused on his ankle, and it will knock him out of commission at least until early June. Vaughn Grissom should continue to handle reps at first base while Schanuel is shelved.

Lopez signed a one-year contract with the Rangers on Wednesday.

Lopez elected free agency earlier this week after being waived by the Cubs and quickly reached an agreement with the Rockies on a minor-league deal, but he never finalized the contract with Colorado before the big-league opportunity with Texas became available. Though he'll enter the lineup right away for the Rangers as their starting second baseman and No. 9 hitter in Wednesday's game against the Astros, he's unlikely to see consistent at-bats with Texas. Instead, Lopez is expected to provide most of his value as a late-inning defensive replacement who's capable of covering three infield positions.

Whitlock has been unavailable to pitch since tweaking his left knee on a wet mound in his last appearance Sunday against the Twins, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Whitlock underwent an MRI, which came back negative. The Red Sox do not anticipate the reliever requiring a stint on the injured list, but they would like to avoid using Whitlock for a few more days to allow for additional rest. Whitlock has collected a 3.20 ERA, nine holds and a 25:6 K:BB over 19.2 innings in a setup role for Boston this season.

The Rangers designated McCutchen for assignment Wednesday.

McCutchen will give up his spot on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster to infielder Nicky Lopez, whom the Rangers signed to a one-year contract. After joining Texas late in spring training on a minor-league deal, the 39-year-old McCutchen was able to secure a spot on the Opening Day roster but proceeded to hit just .192/.277/.260 with a career-worst 26.5 percent strikeout rate in 83 plate appearances. Given McCutchen's struggles with Texas this season along with the fact that he's best suited as a designated hitter rather than a corner outfielder at this stage of his career, the five-time All-Star may not be able to find another opportunity at the big-league level.

Caratini is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the White Sox.

It's a routine day off for Caratini, who has a lowly .406 OPS in May. Alex Jackson will do the catching and bat ninth for the Twins.

Mesa is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mesa will head to the bench after he went 2-for-8 with a home run and a walk over the first two games of the series in Baltimore. While Ryan Vilade will get the nod in right field Wednesday against Orioles righty Trey Gibson, the left-handed-hitting Mesa is the better bet to see the bulk of the starts versus righties while he's up with the big club.

Nishida is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Twins.

The White Sox will shield the left-handed-hitting Nishida from Twins southpaw Connor Prielipp and will go with Randal Grichuk in right field in place of the rookie. After being called up from Triple-A Charlotte on Monday, Nishida opened his MLB career with a pair of starts against Minnesota and went 2-for-7 with a run scored between those contests. Nishida looks like he'll get a look as a strong-side platoon outfielder after the White Sox designated Jarred Kelenic for assignment Monday.