Alvarez (hand) has gone 5-for-8 with a walk, three doubles, and a stolen base through the first two games of his rehab assignment with Double-A Corpus Christi.

The 28-year-old returned to game action this week for the first time since landing on the injured list in May, and he hit the ground running in his first two contests at Double-A. GM Dana Brown indicated that Alvarez could rejoin the big club this weekend in Baltimore, though he's more likely to be reinstated when the Astros return to Houston to face the Rockies on Monday.

Rice went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a triple and a walk in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Red Sox.

Rice tied the game at 1-1 with his second-inning homer. That was his 20th long ball of the year, four of which have come over his last nine games. In that span, he's gone 12-for-34 (.353) with 10 RBI and a 7:10 BB:K. This is an impressive stretch for Rice, who has largely struggled with consistency as a batter this year despite his steady power hitting. He's slashing .243/.338/.489 with 47 RBI, 55 runs scored, three stolen bases, three triples and 21 doubles across 107 contests.

Diaz was diagnosed with a low-grade hamstring injury after leaving Thursday's game against the Cardinals, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Diaz suffered the injury while running the bases in the fifth inning of Thursday's contest. His availability for Friday's contest is now up in the air, but it doesn't sound as if Diaz has suffered a significant injury.

Diaz exited Thursday's game against the Cardinals due to right hamstring soreness, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

Diaz appeared to suffer the injury in the fifth inning but remained in the game for two additional frames. The severity of the issue isn't currently known, but more details should emerge Friday after he potentially undergoes medical imaging.

Diaz was removed from Thursday's game against the Cardinals due to a foot/ankle injury, Brian Murphy of MLB.comreports.

Diaz appeared to initially suffer the injury while running the bases in the fifth inning. He remained in the contest but was ultimately removed for a pinch hitter in the seventh frame. Diaz will likely undergo imaging, which should provide a better idea of how much time he'll miss, if any.

Springer went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Pirates.

The veteran outfielder led off the game by taking Johan Oviedo deep, but it was the only offense Toronto produced in a 2-1 loss. Per Sportsnet, Springer has tied Devon White's franchise record with 22 leadoff home runs in a Blue Jays uniform. He's also gone yard three times in five games since returning from a concussion, going 6-for-19 (.316) with a steal, five RBI and six runs.

Freeman will start at third base and bat eighth in Thursday's game against the Royals.

Since being called up from Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday, Freeman has gone just 1-for-14 at the dish, but he will stick in the lineup for the fourth time in five games nonetheless. During that five-game stretch, he's made three of those starts against right-handed pitching and three at third base, where he could occupy the strong side of a platoon with the struggling Josh Jung until super-utility player Josh Smith likely gets pushed back to the infield once right fielder Adolis Garcia (ankle) returns from the injured list.

Stanton slugged a pinch-hit, two-run home run in the 10th inning of Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Rays.

Coming off the bench to face Tampa Bay closer Pete Fairbanks in a 3-3 tie, Stanton crushed a fastball to left field with an exit velocity of 108.1 mph. It was part of a barrage that has seen the Yankees become the first team since the 1999 Reds to homer 14 times in a two-game span, per Andy Nesbitt of SI.com. Stanton's more than done his part with three of those long balls, and through 14 games in August he's slashing a stunning .432/.523/1.027 with seven homers and 17 RBI.

Rice went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Tuesday's 13-3 rout of the Rays.

The Yankees tied a franchise record with nine home runs Tuesday, and Rice's contribution was a 406-foot solo shot in the fourth inning. The slugger extended his on-base streak to eight games, a span in which he's batting .333 (10-for-30) with three homers, nine RBI, five runs and a 7:10 BB:K. Rice has become an everyday presence in New York's lineup and has taken over the No. 1 catcher role from Austin Wells, starting behind the plate in five of the team's past seven contests.

Keith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Astros, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Detroit is stocking up on extra right-handed bats to counter Astros southpaw Framber Valdez, so Keith will hit the bench for the series finale along with fellow left-handed hitters Zach McKinstry, Trey Sweeney and Kerry Carpenter. Keith -- who had started in each of the last eight games -- is slashing just .143/.200/.167 over 45 plate appearances against lefties this season.