MLB Player News

Duran is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

After seeing his streak of six consecutive starts come to an end Saturday, Duran has now found himself on the bench for four straight contests. Duran's path to meaningful playing time appears to have come to a close with Josh Smith solidifying himself as Josh Jung's (wrist) primary replacement at third base and with first baseman Nathaniel Lowe having made his return from the injured list over the weekend.

Abreu is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

Abreu is on the bench for the second time in three days after an 0-for-3 showing in Tuesday's 7-2 loss to the Cubs dropped his season-long slash line to .065/.132/.081 over 68 plate appearances. Though Jon Singleton will pick up another start at Abreu's expense, prospect Joey Loperfido looks to be the longer-term replacement at first base if the Astros elect to move on from the struggling Abreu at any point. An outfielder for most of his minor-league career, Loperfido has made five starts at first base for Triple-A Sugar Land so far this season and has posted a 1.028 OPS over 20 games to put himself on the radar for a promotion.

Mountcastle (knee) will start at first base and bat third in Wednesday's game versus the Angels.

Mountcastle missed two games with some knee soreness but is feeling well enough to give it a go Wednesday against left-hander Tyler Anderson. The 27-year-old is sporting a .333/.395/.507 batting line with two home runs over 20 contests this season.

Rizzo went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the A's.

Paul Blackburn left a 92.4 mph fastball up in the zone in the first inning, and Rizzo clubbed it over the fence in right-center field. The veteran first baseman snapped a 14-game homer drought with the blast, and he's still looking for his first sustained hot streak of 2024. Over 24 contests, Rizzo is slashing .231/.307/.319 with two doubles, two homers and 10 RBI.

Lowe went 2-for-4 with a double in Tuesday's 4-0 loss to Seattle.

The Rangers' bats were quelled by Mariners pitching, but Lowe managed a second consecutive multi-hit game. After coming off the injured list Saturday, Lowe has appeared in all three games, batted fifth, and gone 4-for-11. In a normal world -- where the potent Texas lineup is producing -- Lowe's middle-of-the-order bat should provide him opportunities with runners on base.

Mountcastle (knee) isn't in the Orioles' lineup for Tuesday's game against the Angels.

Knee soreness kept Mountcastle from playing in Monday's contest, though manager Brandon Hyde said the 27-year-old was available off the bench for that game. He will remain in the dugout once again Tuesday, allowing Ryan O'Hearn to start at first base while Anthony Santander serves as Baltimore's DH and Heston Kjerstad covers right field.

Torkelson is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rays.

Torkelson started the first 23 games of the season, but he has a .231/.311/.319 slash line and will take a seat Tuesday. Mark Canha will shift to first as Riley Greene serves as the designated hitter and Wenceel Perez receives a start in right field.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Casas has been diagnosed with a fracture in his left ribcage and will be "out a while," Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Casas suffered the injury on a swing during Saturday's game in Pittsburgh and was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday. It's a vague timetable provided by Cora, but a clearer picture should be available in the coming days and weeks. Bobby Dalbec is the current favorite to handle the bulk of the first base reps for Boston, but the club could seek help from outside the organization.

Casas (rib) underwent an MRI on Monday that confirmed the expectation that he'll be out for a significant length of time, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

The Red Sox haven't placed a timetable on Casas' return, but it seems likely he'll blow past the 10-day minimum on the injured list. For now, the team plans to get by with a combination of Bobby Dalbec, Pablo Reyes and possibly Rob Refsnyder, who has been working at the position since the start of spring training. Another option is for Boston to wait and see what happens after May 1, when several players could exercise opt-out clauses.

Mountcastle isn't in the lineup for Monday's game against the Angels due to knee soreness, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

Skipper Brandon Hyde noted the team is holding Mountcastle out of the lineup in the series opener simply as a precaution. Hyde also stated that the first baseman will be available off the bench Monday if the situation arises.