MLB Player News

Rushing (elbow) participated in batting practice at Dodger Stadium on Friday, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Rushing was diagnosed with a torn UCL in his right elbow in early August and has already been deemed very unlikely to catch again this season. Nonetheless, the Dodgers are hoping to get the 25-year-old back before the end of the campaign as a left-handed-hitting option off the bench. The UCL tear is considered minor, and Rushing is planning to forego surgery in favor of treating the injury with rest and rehab.

Smith (neck) took part in on-field batting practice Friday, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

The BP session marks a significant milestone for Smith, who has been on the shelf for over two months due to a neck injury. The veteran backstop resumed baseball activities in late July and appears to be moving closer to kicking off a minor-league rehab assignment. If all goes well for Smith moving forward, he could rejoin the big-league club by the final week of August or first week of September.

Goodman is not in the lineup for Friday's game in San Francisco.

Goodman will receive a day of rest after starting each of the previous six contests. Brett Sullivan will do the catching for the Rockies in Friday's series opener.

Crooks is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs.

The Cubs have a righty on the mound in Clay Holmes, but the left-handed-hitting Crooks will begin the contest on the bench. Ivan Herrera will do the catching for the Cardinals, and Bryan Torres will slot in at designated hitter.

Stephenson went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run and three RBI in Thursday's 9-8 win over the White Sox.

Stephenson broke open a tie with a three-run homer in the fourth inning. It was his 11th home run of the season. He continued a strong second half and is now slashing .302/.397/.635 with five home runs, 10 doubles, 14 RBI and 12 runs scored over 19 games since the All-Star break.

Flores went 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs and six total RBI in Thursday's 13-1 win over Miami.

Flores, making his second start in Pittsburgh's last five games, extended the Pirates' lead to 8-0 in the eighth inning with a three-run blast off John King before capping the scoring in the ninth with another three-run blast after Marlins third baseman Javier Sanoja took over on the mound. Coming into the day, Flores had just one homer through his first 12 games this season while going 1-for-15 in his last eight contests. He'll primarily serve as Henry Davis' backup behind the plate while Endy Rodriguez (hip) is sidelined.

The Dodgers signed Tromp to a minor-league deal Thursday, and he's been sent to Triple-A Oklahoma City, Alex Freedman of the Oklahoma City Comets reports.

Tromp elected free agency Aug. 4 after getting booted off Baltimore's 40-man roster July 31. The Dodgers have dealt with depth issues at catcher, as Will Smith (neck) and Dalton Rushing (elbow) have missed extended time. In a corresponding move Thursday, the Dodgers released Chuckie Robinson.

Kelly is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Nationals.

Kelly will get a routine day of rest after starting at catcher in the first two games of the series. Miguel Amaya will don the catching gear for Thursday's finale.

Marchan (knee) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Marchan has been out for the past three weeks with left knee patellar tendinitis. He shouldn't require more than a game or two on his rehab assignment before returning to the Phillies' active roster.

The Pirates placed Rodriguez on the 10-day injured list Thursday with left hip inflammation.

Rodriguez hasn't played in almost a week, and he was unable to show enough progress over that time to avoid a stint on the IL. He will be eligible to return late next week, but it's unclear whether Rodriguez might be ready for activation at that time. Henry Davis and Rafael Flores will handle the catching duties for the Pirates while Rodriguez is shelved.