MLB Player News

Ramirez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a 5-4 win against the Reds on Saturday.

After Cincinnati tallied two runs in the top of the first inning, Ramirez knotted up the score with a two-run blast in the bottom of the frame. The long ball ended a 45-game homerless stretch for the veteran dating back to April 15. Ramirez went deep a career-high 12 times last season, but he's homered only twice through 61 games this year.

Pederson went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a hit-by-pitch in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Cubs.

Pederson's steal was his first since June 14. He hit just .227 over the 21 contests between thefts, a noticeable cooldown for a player who is still batting .274 on the year. The slugger has added an .871 OPS, 13 home runs, 39 RBI, 34 runs scored and five steals over 81 contests in his usual strong-side platoon role.

Yoshida will sit Saturday against the Dodgers, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Yoshida will get a breather as Boston faces left-hander Justin Wrobleski. Tyler O'Neill will handle the designated hitter role while Romy Gonzalez enters the lineup at shortstop after some shuffling.

Malloy will serve as Detroit's designated hitter and No. 2 batter in Saturday's game against the Blue Jays.

Malloy didn't appear in Friday's 5-4 win while the Blue Jays brought righty Chris Bassitt to the mound, but the rookie will crack the lineup Saturday versus southpaw Yusei Kikuchi. Malloy has shown decent pop in a part-time role, hitting five home runs across 33 games, though he's batting just .219 and has struck out in 34.5 percent of his plate appearances. He'll need to be a bit more consistent if he wants to earn more playing time against righties.

Sanchez (calf) was sent to Triple-A Nashville on Friday to begin a rehab assignment, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy indicated last week that Sanchez was well ahead of schedule in his recovery, and he appears to be in the home stretch. Sanchez's rehab assignment comes three and a half weeks after he suffered a strained left calf, and while he'll likely be eased into catching duties, he could be activated in late July or early August.

Stanton (hamstring) ran the bases at Yankee Stadium before Friday's game, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

It would appear to be the first time he has run the bases since going down with a left hamstring strain nearly a month ago. Stanton did not look to be running at 100 percent, but it's nonetheless a big step and signifies that a return to game action could be close. The Yankees have not yet indicated whether Stanton will require a rehab assignment before being activated.

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

The Cubs are sending southpaw Justin Steele to the hill, so the left-handed hitting Pederson will begin the first game of the second half on the bench. Randal Grichuk will handle designated hitter duties.

Triple-A Iowa placed Mervis on its 7-day injured list July 4 with an apparent hand injury, Tommy Birch of The Des Moines Register reports.

The Triple-A club hasn't provided official word on the nature of Mervis' injury, though Birch notes that the first baseman is suspected to be dealing with a broken hamate bone. Since being optioned to Iowa on May 4 after an abbreviated stint with the Cubs, Mervis was slashing .215/.286/.424 with eight home runs and a 26.7-percent strikeout rate over 37 games.

Manager Aaron Boone said that Stanton (hamstring) won't be reinstated from the 10-day injured list when the Yankees open their second-half schedule Friday versus the Rays, but the 34-year-old could be activated soon thereafter, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Additionally, the skipper said that the Yankees remain undecided on whether will need to complete a minor-league rehab assignment before returning from the IL. Stanton was placed on the IL on June 23 with a left hamstring strain and was projected to miss around four weeks, and that timeline still looks to be accurate now that he's hit the three-week mark in his recovery process. Stanton will continue his rehab program during the All-Star break and could bypass a rehab assignment if the Yankees feel comfortable with how his hamstring is responding to live batting practice and pregame running. Fantasy managers shouldn't plan on Stanton being available for the start of the four-game series with the Rays, but a return from the IL the week after looks realistic.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

As usual, the lefty-hitting Pederson will retreat to the bench while the Blue Jays bring a southpaw (Yusei Kikuchi) to the hill. Ketel Marte will replace Pederson as the Diamondbacks' designated hitter.