MLB Player News

The Royals optioned Velazquez to Triple-A Omaha on Monday.

Velazquez was hitting just .122/.240/.171 in June and had seen his playing time dry up, so the Royals have elected to send him down to the minors with the hope that he can get on track at the plate. Expect Freddy Fermin to continue seeing an uptick in playing time with Velazquez now at Omaha.

Carpenter will serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter and No. 7 batter in Monday's game against Atlanta.

After he was excluded from the lineup for a stretch of six consecutive games from June 12 through 17 while the Cardinals faced four lefty starters and handed starts to Nolan Arenado and Masyn Winn at DH in the other two matchups with righties, Carpenter will now get his sixth start in a row. He's earned a more stable spot in the lineup against righties after going 6-for-16 with a double and a walk over the previous five games. The lefty-hitting Carpenter should continue to sit regularly versus lefties, however.

The Red Sox recalled Heineman from Triple-A Worcester on Monday, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Heineman will join the big club in advance of its three-game series with the Blue Jays while top backstop Connor Wong (personal) goes on the paternity list in a corresponding move. Reese McGuire will start at catcher Monday and should serve as the Red Sox's primary option behind the plate over Heineman until Wong likely rejoins the team Thursday.

Jimenez (hamstring) will be in the lineup for Monday's contest against the Dodgers, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The White Sox haven't yet released their lineup for the series opener, but Jimenez has evidently received the green light to make a second consecutive start. Jimenez was noticeably gimpy while running the bases in Sunday's 11-2 loss to the Tigers in his first game back from a stint on the injured list due to a left hamstring strain. The apparent aggravation of the hamstring injury won't cause him to miss any starts, at least not yet. Certainly, Jimenez will remain a major injury risk as he attempts to play through some discomfort.

Burleson went 2-for-4 with two RBI singles, a run scored and two stolen bases during Sunday's 5-3 win over the Giants.

Burleson generated multiple hits for the third consecutive contest, building on a two-homer effort Saturday with a pair of RBI on Sunday. After stealing just two bases in his first 67 games, Burleson has swiped three in the past two contests and took second base on both of his hits. The outfielder is 24-for-83 (.289) in June and ranks in the top 10 in MLB in both runs scored and homers during the month.

Jimenez experienced hamstring soreness in his return to the lineup in Sunday's 11-2 loss to the Tigers, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. He started at designated hitter and went 1-for-4 with a run scored.

Jimenez made his return from the 10-day injured list Sunday after missing a month with a left hamstring strain, and he now appears to be dealing with a potential setback. The White Sox are set to launch a three-game series at home versus the Dodgers on Monday, and the 27-year-old's status is worth monitoring leading up the 8:10 p.m. ET opening pitch.

Stanton said Sunday that he expects to be out for roughly four weeks as a result of his strained left hamstring, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

Stanton landed on the 10-day injured list Sunday and received a platelet-rich plasma injection to aid in his healing process, but it doesn't seem like the slugging outfielder is on track for a speedy recovery. Trent Grisham could be a candidate to start nearly everyday for the Yankees while Stanton is sidelined, especially if the team decides to use Aaron Judge as its primary designated hitter going forward.

Larnach isn't in the Twins' lineup for Sunday's game versus the Athletics.

Larnach and his career .569 OPS against lefties will take a seat Sunday against left-handed starter Hogan Harris. Willi Castro will fill the opening in left field while Kyle Farmer starts at the keystone, batting eighth.

Velazquez will serve as the designated hitter and bat seventh in Sunday's series finale against the Rangers.

Velazquez was originally slated to sit for the fourth consecutive game Sunday, but he was inserted into the lineup after Adam Frazier was scratched due to a right thumb sprain he sustained in Saturday's 6-0 loss. Velazquez will look to take advantage of the opportunity as he faces off against the returning Max Scherzer on Sunday.

Malloy is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the White Sox.

Malloy will take a breather Sunday after starting in the first two games of the series, going 1-for-6 with a double and one run scored. Riley Greene will serve as the designated hitter Sunday while Akil Baddoo starts in left field against White Sox right-hander Jonathan Cannon.