MLB Player News

Rookier is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Even though he was recently honored as the Athletics' only All-Star, Rooker looks to be a prime candidate to lose out on at-bats once Oakland gets the likes of Esteury Ruiz (shoulder) and Ramon Laureano (hand) back from the injured list. Rooker is still struggling to hold down an everyday role even while Ruiz and Laureano have been on the shelf, as the recent promotion of Tyler Soderstrom from Triple-A Las Vegas has left fewer opportunities available at designated hitter. Rooker had picked up starts in the corner outfield in the first two games of the series with Boston, but after striking out in six of his eight plate appearances between those contests, he'll cede his spot in the lineup to Cody Thomas in the finale.

McCutchen is not in the starting lineup Wednesday versus the Guardians.

McCutchen will take a seat after he went 2-for-8 with a double and a strikeout over the first two games of the series. Carlos Santana will slot in at designated hitter while Ji-Man Choi starts at first base and bats cleanup in the series finale with Cleveland.

Martinez is not in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Orioles, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Martinez will get a breather after he went 2-for-9 with two RBI, a run scored and four strikeouts over the first two games of the series. Will Smith will slot in at designated hitter while Austin Barnes enters the lineup at catcher and bats ninth in the series finale with Baltimore.

Ford went 2-for-4 with a double in a loss to the Twins on Tuesday.

Ford broke out of a funk with his first multi-hit effort of the second half, snapping an 0-for-10 slump that had encompassed his previous three games. The journeyman has locked in regular playing time against right-handed pitching with his best all-around big-league stint to date, as he's sporting a career-high .271 average and .934 OPS partly by averaging one extra-base hit every 7.6 plate appearances.

Encarnacion-Strand went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 11-10 loss to San Francisco.

Encarnacion-Strand, who went 0-for-3 in his major-league debut Monday, homered as a pinch hitter for Jake Fraley to make his first MLB hit a special one. It gave the Reds an 8-7 lead, but they couldn't hold it. Encarnacion-Strand stayed in the game as the third baseman and singled in his next plate appearance.

Alvarez (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Alvarez was originally scheduled to begin a rehab assignment in Triple-A on Friday, but it had to be pushed back after he came down with an illness. Now that he's feeling better, he'll return to game action for the first time since landing on the injured list June 9 with a strained right oblique. There's been no word on how long Alvarez might spend on assignment, but the Astros will likely be eager to activate one of their top hitters relatively quickly.

Morel was scratched from the Cubs' lineup Tuesday against Washington due to neck tightness, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Miles Mastrobuoni will fill in at second base while Morel sits. Morel is still available off the bench, so his injury likely isn't too serious, and he should be considered day-to-day going forward.

Canha was added to the lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox.

Canha will cover right field and bat eighth in place of Starling Marte, who was scratched due to a migraine headache. It doesn't sound like Marte will be out long, though Canha has been seeing semi-regular playing time at other positions (left field, DH) as he continues to get on base at a decent clip.

Jimenez (groin) is available to pinch hit Tuesday against the Mets, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said Sunday that Jimenez was expected to miss up to five days due to groin soreness, but Jimenez is apparently feeling well enough to come off the bench Tuesday. Grifol added that Jimenez could be back in the lineup as the designated hitter Wednesday.

Vogelbach is not in the lineup Tuesday against the White Sox.

DJ Stewart will serve as the Mets' designated hitter and bat ninth versus the White Sox and right-hander Lucas Giolito. Vogelbach carries a disappointing .223/.330/.349 batting line through 65 games (203 plate appearances) this season.