MLB Player News

Taveras is out of the lineup for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader versus the Astros.

Colton Cowser will patrol center field for Baltimore in the first game of the day, but Taveras will likely enter the starting nine for the nightcap. Taveras has recorded at least one hit in 10 of his last 14 games, batting .267 with two home runs, one steal, 11 RBI and seven runs during that stretch.

Soderstrom (shoulder/head) remains out of the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Royals.

Soderstrom landed hard trying to make a diving catch in left field Tuesday and will sit for the second straight contest. The Royals are also throwing left-hander Noah Cameron on Thursday, which could play a part in the lefty-hitting Soderstrom getting a second straight day out of the lineup. Carlos Cortes is starting in left and batting sixth.

McNeil is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Royals.

With lefty Noah Cameron on the mound for the Royals, McNeil will take a seat, as Zack Gelof makes the start at second base and bats eighth. McNeil has gone just 3-for-15 against left-handed pitching this season but is slashing .307/.361/.413 against righties.

Rooker is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Royals.

Despite the Royals starting lefty Noah Cameron, Rooker will be on the bench after going 0-for-13 at the plate in three games since returning from the injured list due to a strained oblique. Rooker is now slashing just .111/.206/.222 with two homers, eight RBI, five runs scored, two stolen bases and a 7:22 BB:K across 63 plate appearances this season.

Liranzo (oblique) has gone 2-for-8 with two doubles and an RBI in two games since being reinstated from Double-A Erie's 7-day injured list Tuesday.

Liranzo sustained a right oblique strain late in spring training and opened the season on the shelf, but he was cleared to make his 2026 debut for Erie this week after wrapping up a six-game rehab assignment in the Florida State League. The 22-year-old was added to the Tigers' 40-man roster over the winter, but he likely sits fourth on the organizational depth chart behind big-league catchers Dillon Dingler and Jake Rogers and Triple-A backstop Eduardo Valencia.

Holliday (hand) expects to resume his rehab assignment next week, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Holliday's return from a broken hamate bone in his right hand has gone about as rough as possible, as he's had to be pulled off his rehab assignment twice now due to nagging soreness in the surgically-repaired hand. There remains no firm timetable for his return to the Baltimore lineup, and he needs to show he can make it through several rehab contests without issue. Holliday has slashed just .176/.250/.235 across 56 plate appearances in the minors this season.

Cole (elbow) struck out three and allowed allowed three earned runs on three hits and zero walks across 5.2 innings Wednesday in his rehab start with Double-A Somerset.

Making the third start of his rehab assignment, Cole retired the first 11 batters he faced and allowed just three baserunners on the day, though two of the hits he gave up left the yard. He spotted 45 of his 60 pitches for strikes during the outing and mixed in four pitches while sitting between 93 and 96 miles per hour with his velocity. Though his velocity remains down a few ticks from where it sat before he underwent Tommy John surgery last March, Cole's control has been excellent throughout his first three minor-league appearances; he's walked just one batter across 14.1 innings. The 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner is expected to make at least one more start in the minors before the Yankees decide if he's ready to come off the injured list for his 2026 big-league debut.

Keys is slashing .351/.461/.757 with nine homers and 21 RBI in 20 games for Double-A New Hampshire.

The 22-year-old third baseman slugged 19 homers in 119 games last season at High-A but struggled to make consistent contact, batting just .217 in 2025. That hasn't been an issue for Keys in 2026, although his 27.0 percent strikeout rate suggests some regression is coming for his batting average. The fourth-round pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft is positioning himself to make a big jump up prospect lists if he continues to produce fireworks at Double-A.

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Friday that he expects Rogers (illness) to return from the 15-day injured list when first eligible, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Rogers has the flu and spent the previous couple days at home. He will probably be healthy enough to return before his 15 days are up, but the Orioles elected to play it safe and put the southpaw on the IL. Rogers is eligible for activation May 11, and he could slot back into the rotation that day against the Yankees.

Smith is absent from the lineup for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader versus the Orioles, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Dustin Harris will patrol right field for the Astros in the first game of the twin bill. Smith will likely be back at the position for Thursday's night game.