MLB Player News

Reed is back in the lineup for Monday's game against Oakland, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Reed has been sitting against left-handers, but will get the nod at DH against Oakland righty Kendall Graveman. The Astros are rich in first base and DH options, so they will likely play matchups with Reed, Evan Gattis, Marwin Gonzalez et al the rest of the way.

Pederson (shoulder) is expected to return to the Dodgers' lineup Tuesday, MLB.com reports

Pederson went 5-for-8 with three walks in his three-game assignment and should play center field more or less every day for the Dodgers going forward.

Soler (hamstring) will begin his rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.

Soler has been out since June 7 after injuring his hamstring, but will now head to Triple-A Iowa to play a few tuneup games before getting back to the big leagues with the Cubs. The 24-year-old is hitting .223/.322/.377 with five home runs through 50 games.

Turner went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Sunday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

Hitless heading into the eighth inning, Turner smacked a two-run homer and followed that with a two-run double in the ninth, nearly bringing the Dodgers back from a six-run deficit. He has seemingly discovered his power stroke of late, as he has homered four times in his last eight games and has nine RBI during that span as well.

Cespedes indicated that his quad is nearly healthy but said he would prefer to play left field the rest of the way, James Wagner of the New York Times reports. Manager Terry Collins suggested that will be the case for now.

The Mets are expected to recall Michael Conforto from Triple-A prior to Monday's contest against the Cubs, but he's only played left field in the minors. Conforto could eventually foil Cespedes' plan, but, for now, the alignment will initially remain him in left with Juan Lagares in center field and Curtis Granderson in right. Another possible alignment could include Conforto playing right field and Granderson moving to center, allowing Cespedes to continue starting in left while getting the three best offensive outfielders in the lineup on a daily basis.

Soler (hamstring) is expected to begin a rehab assignment this week, MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reports.

Just a few days ago, the status of Soler was uncertain. Since then, the outfielder has done some running on the field, and appears close to embarking upon a rehab assignment. How long that assignment might be, or when he could return to the Cubs, remains to be seen.

Reed is out of the lineup Sunday against the Mariners.

The Mariners are starting a left-handed pitcher for the second time this series, so Reed will accordingly find himself on the bench. Reed hasn't exactly dominated right-handed pitching since his promotion (6-for-30 with two homers), so until he finds more success, he'll be limited to platoon duties at first base or DH.

Cespedes (quad) is back in the lineup Sunday against the Phillies.

Cespedes has missed four straight games dating back to before the All-Star break, but his pregame workouts Sunday proved encouraging enough for manager Terry Collins to give him the starting nod. With Juan Lagares back and available to play center field, Cespedes could see more time in left moving forward, as that's where he'll draw the start Sunday.

Buxton is out of the lineup Sunday against the Indians.

Buxton recently returned from a knee injury suffered prior to the All-Star break, and with Saturday's game going 11 innings, it looks like manager Paul Molitor just wanted to give the 22-year-old a breather. Danny Santana will cover center field in Buxton's stead.

Ozuna is out of the lineup Sunday against the Cardinals.

No specific reason has been given for Ozuna's absence, so this appears to be just a regular maintenance day for the 25-year-old. He'll sit in favor of Ichiro Suzuki in center field, but carry a .886 OPS into Monday's series opener against the Phillies.