MLB Player News

Reds manager Terry Francona said that Steer (ribs) is expected to be OK and was slated to hit in the batting cage pregame Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

Steer was unable to play Tuesday in Seattle after being hit by a pitch in the ribs during Monday's contest. He appears to have avoided a serious injury, however, and should be considered day-to-day. While Steer could play Wednesday, a looming team off day Thursday might convince the club to hold the 28-year-old out until Friday.

Susac is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Susac will take a seat for the matinee game after he went 2-for-3 with a double and a stolen base while catching 8.1 innings of Tuesday's 4-3 loss. Drew Cavanaugh will receive a turn behind the plate in the series finale.

Mack went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's loss to the Astros.

The rookie catcher made things interesting by taking AJ Blubaugh deep in the seventh inning with the Marlins down 5-1, but they couldn't creep any closer. Mack has gone yard in back-to-back games, giving him nine homers on the year, but he hasn't produced a multi-hit effort since July 4 and is batting just .179 (5-for-28) over his last 11 contests with a 3.2 percent walk rate against a 35.5 percent strikeout rate.

Tolbert is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.

Tolbert filled in at shortstop for an injured Bobby Witt (back) during Tuesday's 3-2 win, going 0-for-3 while committing an error. Though Witt was moved to the 10-day injured list Wednesday, the Royals will instead go with new call-up Andrew Velazquez at shortstop over Tolbert in the series finale. Given that Tolbert has produced an excellent .328/.364/.443 slash line over 69 plate appearances on the season, he could still be a better bet than Velazquez to serve as Witt's primary replacement for the duration of his IL stint.

Rojas will start at third base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Giants.

Rojas will cover third base for the third time in the past four games and could be making a push past Nick Loftin on the depth chart as the top option at the position while Maikel Garcia (hand) remains on the shelf. Over his last five contests, Rojas has gone 6-for-17 with a double, two runs and an RBI, but he's slashing an unremarkable .237/.256/.368 overall since being promoted from Triple-A Omaha on June 23.

Loftin is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Giants.

Loftin has been seeing the bulk of the reps at third base since Maikel Garcia (hand) went down, but he'll take a seat in the series finale. Josh Rojas is at the hot corner for the Royals.

The Royals selected Velazquez's contract from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday. He'll start at shortstop and bat ninth in the Royals' series finale versus the Giants.

The 32-year-old utility player will return to the majors for the first time since the 2023 season, when he appeared in 54 games with the Angels. Velazquez has played both middle-infield positions and all three outfield spots during his time in the minors with the Royals and Diamondbacks organizations this season, but he could end up seeing most of his playing time at shortstop while he's up with Kansas City. He'll enter the starting nine right away at shortstop in place of Bobby Witt (back), who was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Along with Velazquez, Tyler Tolbert will also be in the mix for reps at shortstop while Witt is on the shelf.

The Cardinals designated Blewett for assignment Wednesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Blewett made his Cardinals debut Tuesday against the Angels with two scoreless innings but now finds himself removed from the 26-man and 40-man rosters. The 30-year-old has been outrighted previously, so he could elect free agency if he passes through waivers.

The Cardinals recalled Dobbins from Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Dobbins will make a spot start Wednesday on the road against the Angels as the Cardinals buy some extra rest for their regular rotation members. The right-hander has logged a 4.03 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with 23 strikeouts over 22.1 innings in five appearances (three starts) with the Cardinals so far this season. Dobbins will likely be sent back down to Memphis following Wednesday's outing.

The Royals transferred Kolek (forearm) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.

Kolek made his most recent appearance for the Royals on July 2 before landing on the family medical emergency list a couple of days later. The right-hander was able to make a rehab start at Triple-A Omaha on Saturday, but he emerged from that outing with a right forearm strain and was moved to the Royals' 15-day injured list. Though Kolek remains without a clear timeline for a return while he weighs his treatment options for the injury, the Royals' decision to shift him to the 60-day injured list will keep him out until at least September. The transaction opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for infielder Andrew Velazquez, whose contract was selected from Triple-A.