MLB Player News

The Mariners claimed Vavra off waivers from the Orioles on Friday and optioned him to Triple-A Tacoma.

The 27-year-old has a career .254/.331/.304 slash line over parts of two seasons in the majors. Vavra is capable of playing all over the field, giving the Mariners some utility depth.

Warren will start Saturday's game against the Rockies at Yankee Stadium, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

Warren was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday to take Luis Gil's (back) spot on the active roster, and he'll now slot into Gil's spot in the rotation this weekend. In three big-league starts this season, Warren has an 8.59 ERA with a 17:5 K:BB, though those numbers are skewed heavily by an eight-run start against the Angels on Aug. 7.

Moniak (elbow) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Blue Jays, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The 26-year-old exited Thursday's contest due to left elbow irritation after being hit by a pitch, and he'll be held out of the starting nine Friday. Per Erica Weston of Bally Sports West, Moniak is expected to be back in the lineup Saturday. Kevin Pillar will start in center field and bat cleanup Friday for the Angels.

The Angels selected Zeferjahn's contract from Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.

Zeferjahn was part of the return package in the trade that sent Luis Garcia to Boston. After stumbling to a 5.47 ERA with a 31:17 K:BB across 24.2 innings with the Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate, Zeferjahn has tallied a 2.35 ERA and an 8:1 K:BB in 7.2 innings for Salt Lake. The 26-year-old will take Mike Baumann's spot on the 26-man and 40-man rosters.

Bregman is starting at third base and batting second in Friday's game versus the Orioles, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Bregman started in the designated hitter spot in his first two games back from swelling in his right elbow, but he's feeling well enough to play the field Friday. The Astros are likely to continue giving Bregman some starts at DH just to be safe, but it's a good sign that he's returning to third base already. Yordan Alvarez will be the DH on Friday.

Whitcomb is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Baltimore.

Whitcomb made six straight starts at third base after being called up Aug. 17 and went 5-for-19 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored during that stretch while Alex Bregman dealt with an elbow issue. Bregman appears to be just about recovered though, and he'll handle the hot corner Friday.

Caratini is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Orioles.

After making back-to-back starts behind the dish, Caratini will get the night off Friday. With Yainer Diaz seeing more work at first base, Caratini should see plenty of action behind the plate in the closing weeks of the regular season.

Fermin is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Philadelphia.

After making seven consecutive starts, Fermin has been absent from the starting nine in back-to-back games. The 29-year-old will yield to Adam Frazier at DH on Friday. Fermin is slashing .301/.351/.421 across 283 plate appearances this season.

Story (shoulder) could begin a rehab assignment in September, but the Red Sox haven't determined an exact date for it yet, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

The shortstop has taken live batting practice and gone through other baseball activities over the past few weeks as he tries to make it back before the end of the season from mid-April surgery on a fractured left shoulder. Given the length of his absence, Story would figure to require a significant number of rehab at-bats, but the calendar is working against him.

Mountcastle (wrist) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Astros

Mountcastle injured his wrist Thursday during a headfirst slide into second base and will get at least one day off to recover. Ryan O'Hearn will play first base in his place Friday.