MLB Player News

Rooker isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs due to knee soreness, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Manager Mark Kotsay said the decision to sit Rooker down for a day was precautionary, as the team didn't want to risk his soreness evolving into a more serious issue. Shea Langeliers will work as the Athletics' DH with Rooker on the bench, allowing Jonah Heim to start behind the plate.

Rooker is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

Rooker had one hit in each of the first two games of the series but will get a breather during Thursday's finale. Shea Langeliers will receive a start in the designated hitter slot, and Jonah Heim will do the catching for the Athletics.

Bell is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Royals.

Bell is 9-for-26 at the plate during a modest seven-game hitting streak, but he will take a seat for Thursday's series opener. Byron Buxton is getting a start at designated hitter, while James Outman will patrol center field for the Twins.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Stanton (calf) will not be activated from the 10-day injured list during the team's June 8-14 road trip, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Stanton took live batting practice Wednesday and will do so again Saturday as he ramps things up, but he's still more than a week away from rejoining the active roster. It's unclear whether the Yankees will ask him to play rehab games before returning, but Stanton is tracking toward activation around mid-June.

Alvarez went 4-for-5 with two RBI and one run scored in Wednesday's 11-9 win over the Pirates.

Alvarez didn't add to his homer total -- all four of his hits were singles in his fifth multi-hit effort over his last eight contests. The slugger has six homers and 13 RBI over his last nine games, a span in which he's batting .400 (14-for-35). On the year, he's hitting .316 with a 1.075 OPS, 21 homers, 44 RBI, 41 runs scored, 12 doubles and a stolen base over 62 contests.

Soler was removed from Wednesday's game against the Rockies with left hip irritation.

Soler went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts and a walk before leaving the game in the fifth inning. The Angels were already leading 8-1 when the 34-year-old was pulled, so it's possible his removal was just a precaution, but the team may offer more clarity after the game.

Benintendi went 2-for-3 with three walks, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 8-0 rout of the Twins.

The veteran outfielder took Cody Laweryson deep in the eighth inning as the White Sox put the finishing touches on a big victory. Benintendi is up to six homers on the season, and four of them have come in his last 15 games -- a stretch in which he's batting .296 (16-for-54) with four doubles, one steal, nine runs and 12 RBI.

Springer is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Atlanta.

Springer will ride the bench for the second time in the past three games for Toronto. After posting a .959 OPS in 140 regular-season games last year, the 36-year-old has had a down campaign thus far in 2026, slashing .206/.282/.350 with just five home runs through 160 at-bats. Jesus Sanchez (wrist) will take over at DH for Springer and bat cleanup.

Manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Stanton (calf) is scheduled to face live pitching Wednesday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

The veteran slugger has been on the shelf since late April due a right calf strain, and going up against live pitching is a significant step in his recovery program. Stanton also returned to running outside over the weekend, as he appears to be in the final stages of his rehab work. It remains to be seen if he'll require a rehab assignment before being activated, but a quick trip to the minors wouldn't be surprising given how long Stanton has been out.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a home run and a walk in Tuesday's 10-6 loss against the Pirates.

After Jeremy Pena opened the game with a leadoff walk, Alvarez quickly put Houston ahead by crushing a two-run homer off Bubba Chandler in the first inning. He later added an RBI single in the ninth to cap off another productive night at the plate. The homer was Alvarez's 21st of the season, leaving him just one behind Kyle Schwarber for the MLB lead. Following a scorching series against Texas last week in which he homered five times in three games, Alvarez had cooled off somewhat lately, but Tuesday's performance was a reminder of the elite power he possesses. The 28-year-old is now batting .305 with a ridiculous 1.064 OPS, 12 doubles, 42 RBI, 40 runs scored and one stolen base across 267 plate appearances.