MLB Player News

Walker is out of the lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Phillies.

Walker will hit the bench after he started in right field and went 1-for-3 with an RBI and his third stolen base of the season in the Cardinals' 2-1 loss in Game 1. The 22-year-old is currently holding down a .184/.254/.248 slash line on the season, and his ongoing struggles at the dish are beginning to cost him playing time. He'll be on the bench for the fifth time in a 12-game stretch as the Cardinals wrap up their series in Philadelphia.

Lara made his debut for Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday, working a scoreless inning of relief with one walk and one strikeout.

Atlanta kept the flame-throwing right-hander in the rotation at Double-A Columbus to begin the season, but an 11.21 ERA and 19 walks in 17.2 innings may have finally settled the question of whether Lara would be better suited to the bullpen. Per Gwinnett broadcaster Dave Lezotte, Lara topped out at 101.1 miles per hour with his fastball in his Triple-A debut -- the fastest pitch thrown by a Gwinnett pitcher since velocity readings became available in 2023. On the other hand, only five of his 11 pitches found the strike zone, so the shift to a relief role hasn't solved his control issues. If Lara can harness his stuff a little better, he could be a high-leverage option for the big-league bullpen later this season given his dominant fastball/slider combination.

Friedl is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the White Sox and has been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right wrist, Charlie Goldsmith of the Dayton Daily News reports.

Friedl suffered the injury Tuesday against the White Sox when he fell hard on the wrist following a collision with teammate Elly De La Cruz. He will test out how the wrist feels with a bat in his hands pregame, although it's not clear whether he will do any hitting. For now, Friedl is considered day-to-day. Will Benson is in center field and batting seventh for the Reds on Wednesday.

The Dodgers designated Barnes for assignment Wednesday.

Barnes will cede his spot on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster to Dalton Rushing, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 35-year-old has played sparingly this season and slashed only .214/.233/.286 in 13 contests. He had been the Dodgers' longest-tenured position player.

The Dodgers selected Rushing's contract from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

With Austin Barnes having been designated for assignment in a corresponding move, Rushing will pick up some starts at catcher on days that Will Smith has off. However, most of his playing time could come in the outfield, where Michael Conforto has struggled and Teoscar Hernandez (groin) and Tommy Edman (ankle) are currently out of the mix. Rushing is also capable of playing first base, but at-bats will be hard to come by at the position with Freddie Freeman entrenched atop the depth chart. Rushing has slashed .308/.424/.514 with five home runs and a 29:21 K:BB over 132 plate appearances this season with Oklahoma City.

Soto is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

After starting in each of the Mets' first 43 games of the season, Soto will hit the bench in what appears to be a planned rest day. With the Mets off Thursday, Soto will effectively get two days to rest up before he returns to The Bronx for a three-game series against his former Yankees squad this weekend. Jose Azocar will replace Soto in right field in the series finale versus Pittsburgh.

Verdugo is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.

Verdugo has typically started against left-handers for Atlanta, but he will take a seat in this one versus Washington southpaw Mitchell Parker. Eli White will shift over to left field and bat leadoff, while Stuart Fairchild receives a rare start in right.

Rodriguez (finger) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.

Rodriguez has been shelved for the past month with a laceration on his right index finger but has been cleared to test himself in a game setting. The switch hitter shouldn't require too many at-bats in the minors before being activated from the 10-day injured list.

The Pirates transferred Valdez (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.

The transaction clears room on the 40-man roster for waiver pickup Michael Helman and ensures that Valdez won't be available for the big club until around the All-Star break. The Pirates initially deactivated Valdez on May 9 due to left shoulder inflammation, but his move to the 60-day IL could suggest that he's dealing with a more significant injury. Before getting injured, Valdez had been seeing regular reps at first base, but playing time could be difficult to come by for him once he's activated since Spencer Horwitz (wrist) is poised to beat him back from the IL.

The Pirates claimed Helman off waivers from the Cardinals on Wednesday.

Helman will be assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis. The utility player has slashed only .185/.260/.292 over 18 games with Triple-A Memphis this season.