MLB Player News

McKinstry is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Astros.

McKinstry will get the afternoon off after he went 5-for-25 with a solo home run, four walks and four additional runs while starting seven of the Tigers' last eight games. Though he appears to have a grasp on a near-everyday role for now, McKinstry's playing time could dry up if he continues to underwhelm at the plate. He's produced a .168/.258/.245 slash line over 165 plate appearances on the season.

Sosa is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Sosa will hit the bench after he made starts in each of the last four games -- two in left field, one at third base and one at shortstop -- while going 6-for-12 with a solo home run and three additional runs. Though the Phillies are still likely to open up steady playing time for Sosa versus left-handed pitching, his path to playing regularly against righties appears to have closed with shortstop Trea Turner (wrist) returning to the lineup Wednesday following a one-game absence.

Torres (side) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Houston.

Torres had to exit Monday's game after tweaking his left side, and he will now miss a second straight start. The Tigers have not ruled out a potential stint on the injured list for Torres, but they will wait at least until Friday following Thursday's team off day before making an IL decision. Hao-Yu Lee will grab another start at second base in Torres' stead.

Nunez went 2-for-2 with two walks, two triples, three runs scored, and RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Royals.

The speedy infielder is up to 26 steals on the year and remains one behind Tuesday's opponent, Bobby Witt, for the major-league lead. Nunez's two triples in the same game also tied a franchise record, with Daylen Lile having most recently tied the mark in September of last season. Nunez has stepped up his production at the plate in June, slashing .353/.421/.500 over 39 plate appearances with four steals, seven RBI and eight runs in 12 contests.

Gonzalez (shoulder) went 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-run home run for Double-A Portland on Tuesday.

Gonzalez, who opened a rehab assignment with the Sea Dogs, started at second base and played seven innings. It's unclear how many at-bats he'll need while on rehab, but Gonzalez has been taking batting practice off the Trajekt machine, which has helped rehabbing players shorten their rehab times, per Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. He's next scheduled to serve as the designated hitter on Wednesday followed by a day off Thursday. If he responds well, Gonzalez will likely play three consecutive days over the weekend.

Smith started at second base and went 1-for-4 in Tuesday's 12-2 loss to the Twins.

Smith started for the first time since being activated from the injured list Monday. A glute injury landed him on the IL in early May and was followed by a wrist issue and a case of viral meningitis. At the time of his injury -- when Smith was batting .217 with six RBI through 31 games -- his hold on the starting second base job was tenuous. Ezequiel Duran was making a push for more playing time and nothing has changed since. Lately, Duran has covered shortstop while Corey Seager (concussion) works his way back, but Smith is still in jeopardy of sliding back to a utility/part-time role.

Lowe went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Tuesday against the A's.

Lowe struck out in three of his first four plate appearances, though he managed to erase that ugly start to his day by blasting a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning. That marked his 18th long ball of the season and fourth in his last seven starts. While Lowe's power production remains very strong, he has struck out at a 32.3 percent clip while hitting only .161 across 14 games since the start of June.

Castro went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run scored and two RBI in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Cubs.

Castro opened the scoring for the Rockies with an RBI double in the fourth inning, and he knocked in an additional run one frame later. He has had three multi-RBI performances in his last 12 games, also hitting .354 with three homers, 12 RBI, eight runs scored and a stolen base in that span. That positive production has moved Castro up the Rockies' lineup, as he hit second for the fourth consecutive game against right-handed pitching Tuesday.

Torres (side) didn't play in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Astros.

The veteran second baseman sustained an apparent left side injury during Monday's contest, and it's already cost him one game. During an appearance on MLB Network Radio on Tuesday, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, "I'm bracing for this being an issue, but I don't know. Hopefully it's just a little cramp or something that caused an issue but that's a total guess," per Jeremy Otto of 97.1 The Ticket. Given the lack of clarity regarding the injury, Torres should be considered day-to-day heading into Wednesday's series finale in Houston, though it wouldn't be surprising if he sits for a second straight game, and perhaps more beyond that.

Donovan (groin) began a running progression Tuesday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Donovan has been sidelined since suffering a left groin strain in mid-May, and he's now set to start running again. Based on the injury, the running program is the largest hurdle for the 29-year-old to clear, and it's expected to last between 10 days and two weeks. If all goes well, Donovan would then be in a position to begin a minor-league rehab assignment.