MLB Player News

The Tigers placed Valdez on the bereavement list Sunday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Valdez finished the first half with a strong performance Thursday, when he struck out nine and allowed just one run over seven innings against the Athletics. The veteran left-hander will step away from the team for personal reasons just ahead of the All-Star break, and he may not rejoin the active roster until after next weekend's series against the Angels. The Tigers have already listed Troy Melton, Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize as their probable starters for the series versus the Angels.

The Astros announced that Matthews was removed from Sunday's game against the Rangers after the first inning due to a left knee injury, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Matthews hurt his knee when he collided with the outfield wall with two outs in the bottom of the first while attempting to reel in a deep fly off the bat of Josh Jung. Taylor Trammell pinch hit for Matthews when his first turn in the batting order came up in the second inning. Trammell will likely serve as the Astros' primary option in center field if the knee issue forces Matthews to the injured list coming out of the All-Star break.

The Blue Jays selected Van Eyk's contract from Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday.

Van Eyk will provide the Blue Jays with some extra coverage in the bullpen heading into Sunday's series finale in San Diego and will be making his MLB debut if/when he gets into a game. The 27-year-old righty has mostly served in a starting role at Buffalo this season, logging a 3.79 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 56:25 K:BB across 78.1 frames.

The Blue Jays optioned Dallas to Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday.

Toronto will swap Dallas out of its bullpen for a fresher right-handed arm in CJ Van Eyk, who was called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move. Dallas is likely to re-enter the rotation at Triple-A after making his first two MLB appearances in relief for Toronto.

Fraley (groin) was pulled off his rehab assignment Sunday at Triple-A Durham after feeling something in the area of his hernia surgery, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

Fraley was five games into his rehab assignment and didn't appear far off from being cleared to come off the injured list, but he's now headed to the doctor to be evaluated further. He's been on the shelf nearly two months and is already eligible to be reinstated, but it's uncertain how much longer he'll remain on the injured list.

France will start at first base and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

France will receive a third consecutive start and appears to have leapfrogged Miguel Andujar for the final opening in the Padres' regular lineup versus right-handed pitching. Since the beginning of July, France is hitting .250 with three extra-base hits, three RBI and two runs over eight games.

Andujar is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

After a run of three consecutive starts against right-handed pitchers during which he went 3-for-9 with three doubles, a walk, two runs and two RBI, Andujar has now been left on the bench for the Padres' ensuing two contests, both of which have also come against righties. The 31-year-old may have to settle for a short-side platoon role while the Padres are seemingly prioritizing Ty France and Sung-Mun Song ahead of him in matchups versus righties.

Rushing is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

The 25-year-old continues to operate as the Dodgers' primary catcher with Will Smith (neck) on the injured list but will get a breather for the final game before the All-Star break. Eliezer Alfonzo will step in behind the plate Sunday in place of Rushing, who is poised to finish the first half with 10 home runs and an .808 OPS in 60 games, barring an appearance off the bench.

Freeland is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

After being called up to the big club in late May, Freeland had settled back into a near-everyday role at second base, but his playing time has begun to dry up now that Teoscar Hernandez has settled back in as a regular in the Los Angeles lineup following his return from the injured list June 29. With Hernandez taking control of left field, Tommy Edman has seen fewer opportunities in the outfield but has begun to poach playing time from Freeland at second base. Freeland will be on the bench for a fourth consecutive game and could soon be headed back to Triple-A Oklahoma City if his opportunities remain limited.

Kepler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

Kepler will be held out of the lineup for the second time in the series while Arizona goes with Lourdes Gurriel in left field and Ketel Marte in the designated-hitter spot. Since serving an 80-game suspension and being cleared to make his Arizona debut June 25, Kepler has produced a .554 OPS across 38 plate appearances. Until he begins to improve his offensive output, Kepler could have to settle for a part-time role.