MLB Player News

Crooks is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

The left-handed hitter will take a seat for the second time in the series while the Phillies send another southpaw to the hill in Cristopher Sanchez. Pedro Pages will handle catching duties Sunday in place of Crooks while Ivan Herrera is the DH.

Knizner went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Red Sox.

Knizner was in Boston's system for about a month and a half earlier in the season, but he opted out of his minor-league contract Aug. 7 and found work with the Giants four days later. He came back to haunt his old organization, collecting his first three hits of the campaign in this contest. Knizner has filled the backup role behind Drew Cavanaugh during his time with the Giants, and that's unlikely to change any time soon, as Jesus Rodriguez (elbow) is expected to fill more of a utility role in the infield when he comes back from the injured list. Even with steadier hitting, Knizner's workload is unlikely to increase much down the stretch.

Ruiz isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Miami.

Ruiz will grab a seat on the bench Saturday after going 4-for-10 with a homer and two total RBI while starting each of Washington's last three games. Harry Ford will fill in behind the dish and bat fifth.

The Marlins optioned Driscoll to Triple-A Jacksonville on Saturday.

After selecting Driscoll to the active roster Friday, the Marlins will now send him back to Triple-A while keeping him on their 40-man roster. Deyvison De Los Santos was recalled from Jacksonville in a corresponding move.

Moreno went 2-for-5 with one RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 9-0 win over the Reds.

The Diamondbacks showed no hesitation to run early in this contest, and even the catcher got involved. Moreno hadn't swiped a bag or even made an attempt to since June 12, a game that also came against the Reds. He's on a 14-game hitting streak, going 22-for-59 (.373) in that span. For the season, Moreno is batting .308 with an .854 OPS, 10 home runs, five steals, 63 RBI, 55 runs scored, 26 doubles and one triple over 100 contests. This is already a career year in most areas for Moreno, and he will tie his career high in steals if he records one more.

Contreras went 4-for-4 with an RBI in Friday's 2-1 win over Atlanta.

The Brewers managed only nine hits in total on the afternoon, all of them singles, but Contreras had no trouble solving Chris Sale and the Atlanta bullpen. The 28-year-old backstop has produced multiple hits in three of his last five games, an impressive turnaround after he began August with a .109/.255/.196 slash line over his first 13 contests. During his recent hot streak, Contreras is batting .450 (9-for-20) with a double, a homer, five runs and five RBI.

Amaya is not in the Cubs' starting lineup against the Mariners on Friday.

Amaya will get a breather for Friday's series opener while Carson Kelly starts behind home plate and bats ninth while forming a battery with southpaw Matthew Boyd. Amaya has gone 5-for-25 with two home runs and four RBI across 10 games in August.

Smith (neck) participated in live batting practice Friday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

It's an encouraging sign in Smith's recovery from a neck injury, given that Friday was the first time he faced live pitching since June. There's optimism that the veteran catcher will be cleared to embark on a rehab assignment next week, putting him on track to be back with the Dodgers before the end of the regular season.

Feduccia (illness) is starting behind home plate and batting ninth against the Pirates on Friday.

Feduccia missed Wednesday's game against Colorado due to an illness, but he's recovered enough to return to action for Friday's series opener. He's gone 6-for-27 (.222) with a solo home run and three additional runs scored across 14 games in August.

Stephenson is not in the Reds' starting lineup against the Diamondbacks on Friday.

Stephenson will get a breather following a three-day stretch in which he went 0-for-11 with one RBI, one walk and seven strikeouts. Jose Trevino will start behind home plate and bat seventh.