MLB Player News

Lukes was removed from Friday's game against the Guardians with left hamstring discomfort, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Lukes hit a double to lead off the first inning but apparently tweaked his hamstring while running and was replaced on the bases immediately afterward. The severity of his injury remains unknown, but if he ends up needing to miss additional time, Myles Straw would be in line to make extra starts in the outfield.

Springer (toe) is hitting on the field and running ahead of Friday's game against the Guardians and could return to running the bases within the next few days, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider indicated on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM earlier Friday that Springer could be reinstated from the IL "maybe just even [in] a day or two," but that never appeared to be a likely possibility. The veteran slugger is already eligible to be reinstated to the active roster, but he'll need some more time to complete his running program. It also remains to be seen if Springer will require a brief rehab assignment before being activated.

The Rays transferred Uceta (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Friday, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.

Uceta has been on the injured list all season due to a right shoulder impingement, and he was recently shut down for another 2-to-3 weeks due to strain of the same shoulder. The move to the 60-day IL is hardly a surprise given that development, and Uceta now won't be eligible to be reinstated until late May at the earliest.

Barger (ankles) is ramping up his baseball activities, with the next steps in his rehab program being running the bases and hitting live pitching, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The 26-year-old continues to work his way back from the sprains in both ankles he sustained in early April, and he appears to be getting close to being cleared for game action. Barger will need a multi-game rehab assignment in the minors before coming off the injured list, so he's likely still at least a week or two away from potentially rejoining the Blue Jays.

Harris (hand) is starting in left field and batting seventh Friday against the Yankees, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Harris was held out of the lineup Wednesday against the Guardians after suffering hand contusion Tuesday, but he's good to go after Thursday's team off day. Since being claimed off waivers April 18, Harris has gone 0-for-6 with a walk and two runs in three games with the Astros.

Berrios (elbow) is scheduled to make his next rehab start for Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Berrios has made two rehab starts with Single-A Dunedin most recently Wednesday against Fort Myers, when he allowed three hits and struck out five batters without issuing a walk over four scoreless innings. He'll now shift his rehab assignment over to Triple-A, and he'll likely need at least two more starts without suffering a setback before being cleared to make his major-league season debut with the Blue Jays.

Keaschall is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Rays.

The 23-year-old started Minnesota's first 25 games of the season, and he'll take a seat Friday after posting a .202/.245/.263 slash line with one homer and five steals. Tristan Gray will step in at the keystone with Keaschall on the bench.

Bell is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Rays.

The veteran slugger started the previous 16 games and will receive a day off after posting a .267/.333/.350 slash line during that span. Byron Buxton is resting his legs as the designated hitter in Bell's absence, which opens up center field for Austin Martin.

The Blue Jays designated Fitzgerald for assignment Friday.

The 28-year-old will cede his place on the 40-man roster to Will MacIver, whom the Jays acquired in a trade with the Rangers on Friday. Fitzgerald has spent the entire season in Triple-A, slashing just .094/.147/.125 across 34 plate appearances.

Sousa (oblique) is likely to be activated from the injured list Saturday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Sousa was cleared to begin a rehab assignment April 11 and has since made three appearances in the minors, posting a 9:1 K:BB across 3.2 shutout innings. The 31-year-old lefty will presumably take on a high-leverage role after posting a 2.84 ERA in 50.2 innings last season, and he could be in the mix for saves while Josh Hader (biceps) is on the IL.