MLB Player News

Del Castillo is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros.

After getting recalled from Triple-A Reno on Friday, Del Castillo started at designated hitter in each of the Diamondbacks' first three games out of the All-Star break, going 5-for-12 with a double, two RBI and two runs. Though he'll check out of the starting nine in Monday's series opener, Del Castillo could hold down a regular spot in the lineup against right-handed pitching until Pavin Smith (oblique) returns from the injured list.

Alvarez (hand) was cleared to begin hitting off slow toss Monday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez was given the green light to resume swinging a bat Friday and took another step in the right direction Monday by swinging against slow toss. He's expected to take some cuts again Tuesday, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. The team has yet to provide an exact timetable for Alvarez's return, but it seems the slugger will continue to make his way through a hitting progression and could return at some point during the current road trip in the DH slot if all goes according to plan.

Soler is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.

Soler will get his second day off in the Angels' first four games of the second half after he went 3-for-8 with a solo home run and two walks during the team's three-game series in Philadelphia over the weekend. LaMonte Wade will cover right field in Soler's stead.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Monday that Santander (shoulder) isn't expected to resume swinging a bat for at least a couple more weeks, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Schneider noted that he's hopeful Santander will play again this season, but the 30-year-old clearly hasn't progressed as well as the Blue Jays had hoped since he was placed on the injured list May 30 due to left shoulder inflammation. Even if Santander is cleared to ramp up his hitting progression within the next few weeks, he's still likely to require an extended minor-league rehab assignment after that. With that in mind, a mid-to-late-August return may represent a best-case scenario for Santander, and the uncertainty of his timeline makes him difficult to warrant stashing in most redraft leagues that have limited injured reserve spots.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday that he expects Marte (knee) to be activated from the 10-day injured list later this week, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Marte will need a few more days to recover from a right knee bruise, but he will bypass a rehab assignment and appears likely to be back when the Mets begin a road trip this weekend. Upon his return, Marte will see some playing time in the designated hitter slot, with perhaps most of it coming against left-handed pitching.

Rice is absent from the lineup for Monday's game in Toronto.

Rice had started each of the last four games against right-handed pitching, but he'll begin Monday's contest on the bench as the Blue Jays send righty Kevin Gausman to the hill. The Yankees will go with Paul Goldschmidt at first base, Austin Wells at catcher and Giancarlo Stanton at designated hitter.

Brooks is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Marlins.

The left-handed-hitting Brooks was on the bench for the final two games of the Padres' series in Washington over the weekend while the Nationals sent lefties to the hill, but he'll be absent from the lineup Monday versus Marlins righty Eury Perez. Since getting called up from Triple-A El Paso on June 15, Brooks is slashing just .158/.200/.289 over 40 plate appearances, and he could soon be at risk of losing his roster spot.

Marte (knee) is taking batting practice, and the Mets still anticipate that he'll return from the injured list before the end of July, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The 36-year-old hasn't recovered from a knee bruise quite as quickly as the team had hoped, but Marte isn't expected to miss too much more time. Through 188 plate appearances on the season, he's slashing .270/.353/.387 with four homers, five steals, 20 RBI and 22 runs.

Springer went 2-for-4 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Sunday's win over the Giants.

The veteran outfielder has come out flying after the All-Star break, racking up six hits in the three-game set against San Francisco. Springer's fifth-inning long ball off former teammate Robbie Ray was his 17th homer of the season, and through 15 contests in July, he's slashing a blistering .351/.413/.702 with six home runs, three steals, 13 runs and 14 RBI.

Keaschall (forearm) served as a designated hitter in three rehab games for Triple-A St. Paul from Friday through Sunday, going 3-for-12 with three walks, two stolen bases, one run and one RBI.

Keaschall took part in his first game action since April 25, when he sustained a fractured right forearm that disrupted what had been an impressive start to his time in the big leagues. The rookie fared well in his return to the field this weekend, but since the Twins still want him to play second base and potentially get exposure to other positions during his time at St. Paul, he's expected to be in store for a lengthier rehab assignment, per Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Keaschall produced a 1.064 OPS in 26 plate appearances in the majors prior to landing on the injured list, and if he continues to rake during his assignment, the Twins will likely find ways to get his bat in the lineup once he's activated.