MLB Player News

Kurtz is not in the Athletics' starting lineup against the Rays on Wednesday.

Kurtz will begin Wednesday's game on the bench after starting in the Athletics' last 14 games, with Tyler Soderstrom shifting over to first base and batting in the cleanup spot. Over that 14-game span, Kurtz has gone 13-for-50 (.260) with 10 runs, two doubles and three RBI.

Norboy (wrist) participated in batting practice Wednesday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Norby is progressing in his recovery from a procedure in July to repair a broken left hamate bone in his hand. He's not expected to be back until late August at the earliest, but his participation in Wednesday's batting session is a good sign for the 25-year-old third baseman. The next step in his recovery program would be to get some live reps, likely on a rehab assignment.

Moore isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

Now set to sit on the bench for the fourth time in the Angels' last five games, it seems Moore has fallen out of favor for the starting gig at second base in Anaheim. Luis Rengifo will get another nod at the keystone Wednesday while batting seventh for the Halos.

Carpenter went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the White Sox.

The 27-year-old struck out in his other two at-bats, but he managed to score the game's only run in the top of the sixth inning on a Wenceel Perez sac fly after starting the frame with a single. Carpenter has been hot lately, as he's now batting .294 this month with four home runs and 10 RBI in 12 games. The outfielder continues to do most of his damage against righties, posting an .865 OPS in those matchups, though he did record one of his two hits Wednesday against Chicago southpaw Martin Perez.

Finnegan worked around a walk to toss a scoreless inning of relief in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the White Sox.

Finnegan covered the eighth inning and earned a hold while Will Vest got the save in the ninth. The same scenario played out Monday, with Finnegan picking up the win in relief and Vest earning the save. Before that, Finnegan had rattled off three straight saves for the Tigers, so it appears that the team's late-game bullpen usage is going to be a bit fluid moving forward depending on matchups. Both Finnegan and Vest have fantasy value in this arrangement, though they do cap each other's ceilings to a degree.

Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said Wednesday that O'Neill (wrist) could be sidelined until late August or early September, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

O'Neill is eligible for activation from the 10-day injured list Saturday, but his recovery from right wrist inflammation is coming along more slowly than expected. If O'Neill's progress continues to stall, he will require a rehab assignment before returning to the active roster.

Gipson-Long (neck) tossed two scoreless innings of relief in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the White Sox. He allowed one hit and struck out two.

Gipson-Long was making his first MLB appearance since June 27, and he looked sharp while only needing 17 pitches to cover two frames. The righty worked behind Troy Melton, who logged five scoreless innings in a spot start. While Gipson-Long worked exclusively as a starter in Triple-A this season, he figures to be a bullpen option for the Tigers with the team adding veteran starters Chris Paddack and Charlie Morton before the trade deadline. Gipson-Long can at least give Detroit some length in relief, as he displayed Wednesday.

Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said Wednesday that Cowser (concussion) will not be activated from the 7-day injured list when first eligible Thursday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Cowser is still going through the concussion protocol and cannot be activated until he's cleared. Mansolino indicated that Cowser might not be far off from returning, but there's always an element of uncertainty with concussions.

Riley (abdomen) still felt discomfort while throwing Tuesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Riley is eligible to come off the 10-day IL on Friday, but the expectation is that he's going to need more time to recover from his abdominal strain. Nacho Alvarez has been handling the bulk of the third-base duties for Atlanta while Riley has been sidelined.

Toro is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Houston.

After starting at first base in each of the first two games of the series, Toro will begin Wednesday's festivities on the bench. Romy Gonzalez is handling first base and batting sixth for the Red Sox.