MLB Player News

Ruf was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday.

It has been a rough year for Ruf, as he has slashed just .158/.206/.193 in 63 big league plate appearances. He hit 20 home runs while slashing .294/.356/.529 in 95 games with Lehigh Valley this year, but it's pretty clear at this point that he is a Quadruple-A hitter. Look for him to play sparingly in the outfield and at first base down the stretch for the Phillies.

Ozuna (wrist) is out of the lineup Friday against the Indians, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

With Ozuna out for the second day in a row, Miami will deploy an outfield of Destin Hood, Christian Yelich, and Jeff Francoeur for their series opener against the Indians. Until further notice, consider Ozuna day-to-day heading into Saturday's outing.

Belt is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs.

Belt owns an .867 OPS against left-handers this season but is 0-for-6 in his career against Cubs starter Jon Lester, so he will get a day off with Lester on the bump for the Cubs on Friday. Buster Posey will man first base Friday in Belt's place.

Buxton went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer in his first game back in the majors against the White Sox on Thursday.

He may still own a pathetic .195 average, but Buxton is also just 22 and has hit .305/.359/.568 through 49 Triple-A games this year. His adjustment to MLB pitching has been gradual, but the former No. 1 overall prospect will go a long way toward raising his stock for next season if he can carry Thursday's production forward into a strong month of September.

Cespedes is not in the lineup Thursday against the Marlins, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

Cespedes has started each of the last three games, but he'll be held out for maintenance purposes Thursday. The slugger was still dealing with some minor discomfort in his quad earlier in the week, which the Mets are attempting to prevent from worsening.

Ozuna (wrist) is not in the lineup against the Mets on Thursday, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Ozuna injured his wrist Wednesday in an attempt to make a diving catch, and though he'll be held out with the ailment Thursday, he should still be considered day-to-day until further notice. In his absence, the Marlins will go with an outfield of Jeff Francoeur, Christian Yelich and Ichiro Suzuki.

Miller went 2-for-4 with a first-inning RBI ground-rule double and walk in Wednesday's 8-6 loss to the Red Sox.

The hot-hitting first baseman opened the scoring by plating Kevin Kiermaier in the first with a ground-rule double, which gave him 26 RBI for August overall. That figure is double the total of his previous high in that category, which he set in July. Miller has come alive at the plate in the second half despite having to endure a position switch due to the acquistion of Matt Duffy, slashing .289/.361/.592 with 11 doubles, a triple, 11 homers and 32 RBI over 152 at-bats.

Ozuna was forced out of Wednesday's matchup with the Mets due to a sore wrist, Marc Carig of News Day reports.

Ozuna was 0-for-2 before leaving the contest. He was replaced in the outfield by Jeff Francoeur. His wrist was injured during an attempt for a diving catch. He could potentially return to action for Thursday's series finale against the Mets.

Colon was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday, Joel Goldberg of FoxSports.com reports.

Since the All-Star break, Colon has hit a mere .182/.250/.250, bringing his batting average down to .228 for the year. Apart from occasionally filling in if an infielder needed a day off, Colon didn't see consistent time on the field. With Colon headed to Omaha, the Royals recalled Scott Alexander.

Goins was recalled by the Blue Jays on Wednesday.

With Darwin Barney landing on the Family Medical Emergency List on Wednesday, Goins will rejoin the club to add depth at both middle infield spots. Although Goins helps add versatility in the field, he's been a minus at the dish with a .186/.231/.314 slash line over 172 at-bats.