PITTSBURGH — The Texas Rangers placed first baseman Jake Burger on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a strained left oblique.

Burger was injured on a swing during Friday night’s 6-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Infielder Justin Foscue was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock and was in uniform for Saturday’s game.

Utility player Ezequiel Duran is expected to be the primary first baseman while Burger recovers.

“I want to give Zeke some runway here,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said.

This is the third straight season that Burger has gone on the IL with a side injury. However, Burger is optimistic that he will not be sidelined long.

“I’ve dealt with this before, and it’s been quick [to heal],” Burger said. “My mind is on coming back on the 11th day, getting back as soon as I can.”

Burger was acquired from the Miami Marlins in an offseason trade. He is hitting .220 with 10 homers in 65 games after going deep 29 times last season. He was demoted to Triple-A for a week in May.

Also Saturday, Nathan Eovaldi threw a simulated game of 50 pitches and three innings and Jon Gray had a 35-pitch bullpen session. Eovaldi and Gray are coming back from injuries.

Eovaldi could rejoin the rotation next week when Texas plays a three-game series at Baltimore that begins Monday night. He has been on the injured list since June 1 due to right posterior elbow inflammation. Eovaldi has a 4-3 record and 1.56 ERA in 12 starts this season.

“Everything went well,” he said. “I threw all my pitches. I feel like I’m ready to come back.”

Gray has yet to pitch this season after fracturing his right wrist during spring training. There is no timetable for his return.

Center fielder Wyatt Langford was out of the lineup for a second straight game because of back spasms. Bochy expects him to play Sunday in the finale of the three-game series.

Foscue made his major league debut last year and hit .048 in 15 games with Texas. At Round Rock this season, he was batting .269 with 10 homers in 50 games.

CHICAGO — Left-hander Shota Imanaga will rejoin the Chicago Cubs early next week in St. Louis following a sharp Triple-A rehab start Friday, manager Craig Counsell said Saturday.

Counsell wasn’t sure when Imanaga would be slotted into Chicago’s rotation but said before the Cubs’ game against the Seattle Mariners that the 31-year-old “is going to make his next start in the big leagues.”

Imanaga, who was 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA as a rookie last season, is coming back from a left hamstring strain. He got hurt covering first base during the sixth inning of a 4-0 loss at Milwaukee on May 4.

He is 3-2 with a 2.82 ERA in eight starts for the Cubs this season. His return is expected to provide a lift to the National League Central leaders, who entered Saturday 4½ games in front of the Brewers and Cardinals.

Imanaga tossed 4⅓ scoreless innings of two-hit ball for Triple-A Iowa at Nashville on Friday night. He struck out eight and walked two.

“Everything went great,” Counsell said. “Did what we hoped he would do. He’s in a position to be ready. So he’s going to join us in St. Louis and we’ll figure out the next steps.”

Before the transition to Iowa, Imanaga pitched six scoreless innings over two rehab starts in the Arizona Complex League. He had a bullpen session in Arizona last Tuesday.

Imanaga signed a four-year, $53 million contract with Chicago in January 2024. He often dazzled in 29 starts last season, making the NL All-Star team and finishing fourth in balloting for NL Rookie of the Year.

Also Saturday, the Cubs recalled right-hander Nate Pearson from Iowa and designated left-hander Génesis Cabrera for assignment.

Pearson is 3-1 with a 2.22 ERA in 19 appearances since he was optioned to Iowa on April 15.

Cabrera had an 8.68 ERA in nine games with the Cubs. He signed with Chicago on May 29 after being designated for assignment by the New York Mets.

NEW YORK — Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman was placed on the injured list Saturday for the first time in his career because of a strained left oblique.

Rutschman, 27, had an MRI on Saturday morning, and the Orioles announced the move about 15 minutes before their game against the New York Yankees.

“He’s been super durable, especially for a catcher,” Baltimore interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “Unfortunately, if he does, if this is a thing, he’s going to go, but hopefully it’s not too long.”

Rutschman had been in Baltimore’s original lineup Friday as the designated hitter before feeling pain during batting practice and being scratched. The Orioles recalled Maverick Handley, who will serve as the backup to Gary Sanchez until Rutschman returns.

Rutschman is hitting .227 with eight homers and 20 RBIs in 68 games this season. He has been among the more durable catchers in the majors. After playing 113 games following his debut in May 2022, he appeared in 154 games in 2023 and 148 last season.

Baltimore’s lineup took another hit when infielder Jordan Westburg exited Saturday’s game against the Yankees in the third inning after jamming his left index finger while stealing a base, despite wearing a protective glove. He was seen wincing afterward.

Westburg, who started at designated hitter, walked in the first inning and stole second during an at-bat by Gunnar Henderson. He was replaced in the third by rookie Coby Mayo.

Following Baltimore’s 9-0 loss, the team said X-rays were negative.

“Jammed his finger stealing second base,” Mansolino said. “Sprained, strained, something along those lines. Hoping it’s day-to-day right now. Nothing imminent with him. We feel like probably in a few days he’ll be OK, maybe earlier.”

The 26-year-old Westburg missed more than a month with a left hamstring strain before returning on June 10. He is hitting .229 with seven homers and 17 RBIs in 34 games this season.

“All I know is that there’s no fracture on the X-ray, so trying to stay optimistic in that sense,” Westburg said.

Westburg was an All-Star last season, when he batted .264 with 18 homers and 63 RBIs.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.