MLB Player News

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.

Caglianone (shoulder) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Giants.

Caglianone injured his right shoulder on a diving attempt in the outfield during Tuesday's game. There's no word yet on the severity of the injury, but it's a good sign he wasn't placed on the injured list prior to Wednesday's contest. Consider Caglianone day-to-day for now. Starling Marte will play right field for the Royals in Wednesday's series finale.

The Royals placed Witt on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to low back tightness.

The durable Witt will go on the IL for the first time in his five-year career in the majors after he was held out of the lineup for Sunday's loss to the Padres due to the back issue and then aggravated the injury while returning to the starting nine for Monday's win over the Giants. The Royals haven't indicated that Witt's injury is any sort of long-term concern, so if he responds well to a week and a half of rest, he could be ready to come off the shelf when first eligible July 31. Tyler Tolbert and Andrew Velazquez are likely to share time at shortstop while Witt is out.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts intimated Tuesday that Diaz (elbow) is likelier to be activated from the 60-day injured list next week than this weekend, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

A return for Diaz this weekend hasn't been totally ruled out, but rather than activate the closer for one series on the east coast this weekend versus the Mets, the Dodgers will likely wait until they begin a homestand next Tuesday. Out since late April following surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow, Diaz has tossed four scoreless innings with a 7:1 K:BB in four rehab outings.

Jarvis went 2-for-3 with a walk, a triple, a run scored and two RBI in Tuesday's loss to the Padres.

The rookie is proving to be quite a find for Atlanta in the 11th round of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft. Jarvis has started six straight games at shortstop, going 6-for-21 (.286) during that span with two doubles, a triple, three RBI and five runs. The impending return of Ronald Acuna (hamstring) could shuffle around the lineup, but Jarvis may be playing well enough to hang onto his job, with Mauricio Dubon instead continuing to see most of his action in left field while Mike Yastrzemski displaces the struggling Dominic Smith as the primary DH against right-handed pitching.