MLB Player News

Gasper is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Though he'll head to the bench while southpaw Matt Wilkinson starts for the Giants, the switch-hitting Gasper looks to have moved into a regular role as the Red Sox's designated hitter versus right-handed pitching since being recalled from Triple-A Worcester a week ago. While starting in each of Boston's last five games, Gasper went 5-for-15 with three home runs, one double, two walks, eight RBI and three runs.

Jones (hip) will serve as the Red Sox's designated hitter and leadoff batter in Sunday's game against the Giants.

Jones will re-enter the lineup for the first time since Aug. 8. Though he's typically been a regular part of the starting nine against left-handed pitching, Jones has seen limited playing time over the past two weeks while the Red Sox have faced a right-handed-heavy pitching schedule. Jones also missed out on starting against a lefty in Monday's win over the Diamondbacks while he dealt with hip tightness, but he cleared up any concern about his health by making a cameo off the bench two days later.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.

Pederson will head to the bench along with Evan Carter and Nicky Lopez while the Angels send southpaw Yusei Kikuchi to the bump. Logan O'Hoppe will cover the DH spot and bat seventh.

Perez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a run scored during Saturday's 3-1 win over the Tigers.

Perez connected for only his second long ball of the month and his first since Aug. 1 on Saturday. The 36-year-old extended his hitting streak to a modest four games and has picked up at least one base knock in six of his last seven games. This year, Perez is slashing .220/.265/.373 with 17 homers and 57 RBI in 504 plate appearances.

Springer went 3-for-5 with an RBI in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Yankees.

The veteran slugger gave the Blue Jays a quick lead with an RBI single in the first inning, which they never relinquished. Springer has multiple hits in three of his last five games, an impressive turnaround after he'd gone 14 straight contests without a multi-hit showing. He's still looking for his first home run in August, batting .262 (16-for-61) on the month with two doubles, a triple, three steals, seven runs and seven RBI over 20 games.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Stanton sustained a moderate left calf while running the bases Thursday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.

Stanton has been on the injured list since April 28 due to a strained right calf, but his other calf is now the bigger concern after he strained it while falling down during his most recent baserunning session. The Yankees haven't yet ruled out a return for Stanton later this season, but Boone admitted that it will be difficult for the veteran slugger to return before the end of the campaign as a result of his latest setback.

Alvarez went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI and one run scored in Friday's 4-0 win over the Athletics. He was also hit by a pitch.

Alvarez drove in runs on doubles in the fifth and seventh innings. The 29-year-old slugger has homered just once in 18 August contests, but he's hitting .302 with eight doubles, eight RBI and 11 runs scored in what has still been a productive month. On the season, he's slashing .321/.434/.618 with 36 home runs, 90 RBI, 85 runs scored and a stolen base across 557 plate appearances.

Perez went 3-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Athletics.

Perez notched his first three-hit effort of the second half, driving in a run on a single in the fourth inning. The veteran hasn't hit for much power recently, but he's batting .250 with 11 RBI through 16 August contests. On the season, he's slashing .219/.265/.368 with 16 homers, 56 RBI and 43 runs scored across 497 plate appearances.

Rice went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in a 5-3 win against Baltimore on Wednesday.

Rice gave New York a 3-1 lead with a prodigious 447-foot solo blast in the third inning. It was the slugger's second long ball over his past three games and his 34th of the campaign, tied for fifth most in the majors. Fantasy managers who roster Rice are certainly glad to see his bat coming alive after he batted just .158 with only three home runs over his initial 27 contests following the All-Star break. Even with that slump, his .878 OPS ranks No. 13 in MLB.

Jones (hip) entered Wednesday's game as a pinch hitter and finished as the designated hitter. He walked in his lone plate appearance in a 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Diamondbacks.

Jones, who battled left hip tightness the previous two days, pinch hit for Mickey Gasper against a left-hander in the eighth inning. The former has been remarkably productive in a part-time role since joining Boston, going 11-for-23 with four doubles, two home runs, six RBI, three steals and eight runs scored over 15 contests.