MLB Player News

McKinstry is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Nationals.

McKinstry will take a seat for the third day in a row, this time against a lefty starter (DJ Herz). Since he had previously been held out of the lineup versus righties Davis Martin and Sean Burke in the series against the White Sox over the weekend, the left-handed-hitting McKinstry looks like he could be losing his grip on a strong-side platoon role. McKinstry's drop in playing time comes while he's slashed just .088/.184/.147 through 13 games in September.

The Giants activated Mayer (forearm/foot) from the 10-day injured list Monday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Mayer has not played in the majors since late June, when he suffered a left forearm stress reaction while still in the Red Sox organization. He was also forced to slow his rehab due to a bone bruise in his right foot, but the infielder seems to have put both injuries in the rear-view mirror and will make his Giants debut at designated hitter Monday. Mayer has slashed .223/.278/.346 in 114 contests thus far at the big-league level.

Clark is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Nationals.

After seeing his 10-game hitting streak come to an end during Sunday's 8-1 loss to the White Sox, Clark will be given a breather for the series opener versus the Nationals. Javier Baez will spell Clark in center field and will bat eighth.

Jackson is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays.

Jose Barrero will cover second base in the series opener while Jackson retreats to the bench after manning the keystone for each of the previous five games. With manager Craig Albernaz telling Jake Rill of MLB.com that Jackson Holliday (wrist) is unlikely to return from the 10-day injured list during the final week of the season, Jackson should have a clear path to steady at-bats to finish the year.

Smith will start in left field and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Orioles.

With the season winding down, Smith has taken hold of a strong-side platoon role for the Blue Jays. Despite going just 1-for-14 with a 2:5 BB:K over the Blue Jays' previous six games, Smith will stick in the lineup Monday for a seventh consecutive contest.

The Tigers recalled Jung from Triple-A Toledo on Monday.

He's netting the roster spot vacated by the injured Colt Keith (thumb). Jung had a cup of coffee with the Tigers earlier this season but has spent essentially the entire year at Toledo, slashing .227/.344/.421 with 22 home runs over 133 contests. He is not guaranteed regular playing time in the final week.

The Tigers recalled Ryan from Triple-A Toledo on Monday.

Ryan will make his Tigers debut Monday with a start against the Nationals, though he will be limited after topping out at 2.2 innings and 39 pitches over two starts at Triple-A Toledo upon returning from the 7-day injured list. Acquired from the Dodgers on Aug. 2, Ryan missed all of 2025 due to Tommy John surgery and was shelved for nearly three months by a hamstring injury in 2026. The 28-year-old has flashed electric stuff when on the bump, however, and logged a 1.33 ERA and 18:9 K:BB over 20.1 frames in four starts for Los Angeles in 2024. Ryan is in line for a second start this week on Sunday versus the Pirates, though his workload will be limited in that outing as well.

The Tigers placed Keith on the 10-day injured list Monday due to a left thumb sprain.

He missed a couple games last week with thumb soreness, and subsequent testing revealed a sprain. The injury will bring an end to the season for Keith, who finishes with a .258/.322/.406 batting line and 10 home runs over 140 contests for the Tigers. Gleyber Torres and/or Eduardo Valencia could handle designated-hitter duties for the Tigers in the final week while Keith is out.

The Tigers placed Melton on the 15-day injured list Monday due to right arm fatigue.

While it's unfortunate that Melton's season will end with him on the IL, it's good news that he appears to have avoided any structural issues with his pitching arm. He had a 7.79 ERA in four September starts, so the fatigue could be something that's nagged at Melton for a little while. Even after the poor final month, Melton will finish with a 2.76 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 94:37 K:BB over 114.1 innings covering 20 starts for the Tigers.

Bell is absent from the lineup for Monday's game in San Francisco.

Bell will retreat to the bench for the series opener against the Giants after starting each of the previous seven contests. Alan Roden is in the designated hitter slot and will bat sixth for the Twins while Bell rests.