MLB Player News

Blanco logged a stolen base as a pinch runner in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Angels.

Blanco took advantage of his playing time during a road series in Cincinnati last weekend, going 5-for-8 with three homers and eight RBI across three contests. While it was an impressive showing, he remains in a short-side platoon role, primarily sharing left field with MJ Melendez. Blanco is up to 23 steals on 28 attempts this season while adding four homers, 13 RBI, 31 runs scored and a .257/.293/.394 slash line through 117 plate appearances. While he has excellent speed, his lack of a path to at-bats versus right-handed pitching continues to limit his fantasy value.

Soderstrom (wrist) played catch before Wednesday's game against the Dodgers, the Associated Press reports.

Soderstrom began his strengthening program earlier this week and Wednesday's activity was part of his progression. There's still no word on when the rookie might be able to get some swings in rehab games, but he still seems to be well on track to return to the big-league roster before the end of the regular season.

Melendez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Angels.

Melendez has hit safely in 11 of 15 games in August, and two of those hitless efforts came as a pinch hitter. He's batting .310 with three homers, eight RBI, seven runs scored, three doubles and a stolen base this month. A move to a strong-side platoon role has helped Melendez be more effective, though he still has a .206/.267/.412 slash line for the year. He's added 15 homers, 39 RBI, 35 runs scored and three stolen bases over 352 plate appearances. While the surface numbers are poor, Melendez's .233 BABIP for the year also indicates some bad luck is in play.

Wilson (hamstring) played seven innings at shortstop and a full game at DH in Triple-A Las Vegas' games against Reno on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, going a combined 2-for-6 with an RBI, two walks and a run.

All of Wilson's offensive contributions in that span came in the latter contest, and he's now hitting .364 (4-for-11) over his four-game rehab stint. Wilson is slated to play again for the Aviators on Thursday and could potentially put in a full nine innings on defense for the first time during his time with Las Vegas.

Ibanez will start in left field and bat second in Thursday's game against the Cubs.

With a southpaw (Justin Steele) on the hill for the Cubs, the Tigers are giving three of their lefty-hitting regulars (Riley Greene, Parker Meadows and Trey Sweeney) the afternoon off while opening up a prominent spot in the lineup for Ibanez. The 31-year-old utility man should remain a fixture in the lineup versus lefties for the rest of the season, as he's produced a. 958 OPS in those matchups so far in 2024.

Meadows is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

Meadows will join fellow left-handed batters Riley Greene, Trey Sweeney and Zach McKinstry on the bench while the Cubs send southpaw Justin Steele to the hill in the series finale. Matt Vierling will cover center field in place of Meadows, who has supplied a .949 OPS in 14 games since returning from the 10-day injured list Aug. 3.

Greene is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

Greene will join fellow left-handed hitters Trey Sweeney, Parker Meadows and Zach McKinstry on the bench while the Cubs send southpaw Justin Steele to the hill for the series finale. After going 0-for-8 with five strikeouts in his first two starts following his return from the 10-day injured list Sunday, Greene shook off some rust in Wednesday's 8-2 win, slugging a home run and supplying a base hit while driving in three runs.

Sweeney is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

With a lefty (Justin Steele) on the hill for the Cubs, the lefty-hitting Sweeney will hit the bench as Javier Baez picks up the start at shortstop. Sweeney should still receive the bulk of the opportunities at shortstop down the stretch as he looks to stake a claim to a full-time role with the big club heading into 2025. Since getting promoted from Triple-A Toledo last Friday, Sweeney has gone 2-for-11 with a home run and two RBI over his first three big-league games.

Haniger entered a loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday as a pinch hitter in the top of the ninth inning and hit a solo home run in his only at-bat.

The veteran outfielder had returned to the starting lineup Tuesday following a one-game absence due to a quadriceps injury and gone 0-for-4, but he delivered in the clutch off the bench a day later. However, Haniger's blast only served to get the Mariners halfway to Los Angeles' eight-run total and turned out to be the final run of the night for Seattle. The solo shot snapped an 11-game homer-drought for the 33-year-old, whose .353 slugging percentage remains a career low.

The Tigers recalled Guenther from Triple-A Toledo on Thursday.

Guenther made one relief appearance with the Tigers earlier this month, allowing one earned run over 1.1 innings of work. The left-hander will likely be with the big club only for a few days until Alex Faedo is back from paternity leave.