MLB Player News

Harper could play first base as soon as this weekend, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Harper is at designated hitter Friday against the Padres, but it sounds like he could be at first base during Saturday's doubleheader or Sunday. It would be the first start he's made at the position as a pro, as the Phillies have opted to ease him back into defensive duties at a less strenuous spot rather than right field following last year's Tommy John surgery. Harper missed the final game before the All-Star break after being hit on his surgically repaired elbow by a pitch, but tests came back clean.

Harper (elbow) is starting as Philadelphia's designated hitter Friday against San Diego.

Harper missed the final game before the All-Star break due to right elbow soreness, but he'll return to the Phillies' lineup after an extended rest period. Harper slashed .290/.386/.400 while racking up 23 RBI over 243 plate appearances during the first half of the season.

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

Alvarez has been working out lately without issue and is ready to test things out in a game setting. The Astros have not revealed how many rehab games the slugger might require, but a return to the major-league roster by early next week would seem possible. Alvarez has been on the shelf since early June with a right oblique strain.

The Nationals released Torrens on July 1.

Torrens is now on the move from his third organization of the season, as the Cubs previously traded him to the Orioles in May before Baltimore released him shortly thereafter. After catching on with Washington on a minor-league deal, Torrens slashed .258/.311/.470 over 19 games with Triple-A Rochester before receiving his walking papers.

Choi went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBI in Sunday's win over Arizona.

Choi launched a two-run shot in the second inning for his third homer of the season. He was activated from the 60-day injured list Friday and went 3-for-12 during the weekend series against the Diamondbacks. Choi is slashing .159/.159/.409 this season, but he's seen just 44 plate appearances after missing nearly three months of action.

Rooker went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and a steal in Sunday's loss to the Red Sox.

Rooker went deep for his second home run in as many games, launching a solo shot off Josh Winckowski in the fifth. He also secured his second stolen base of 2023, an unlikely feat considering he didn't log a steal in any of his first three MLB seasons. Over his last nine appearances, Rooker is 9-for-27 (.333) with three homers and six RBI but is striking out at a 35.4 percent clip.

Meneses went 1-for-3 with a solo homer in Sunday's 7-2 win over the Rangers.

Meneses finished the first half of the 2023 campaign on a high note, clobbering four home runs during Washington's three-game series against Texas. Though his outburst was certainly encouraging for his post-All-Star break prospects, Meneses had only hit two long balls prior to the series. However, he went deep 33 times in 654 plate appearances between the majors and minors last season and has a 65th-percentile hard-hit rate during the current campaign, so a more homer-laden second half may be in the forecast. Through 83 games, Meneses is slashing .284/.328/.404 and is striking out only 20.2 percent of the time.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that Alvarez (oblique) will "for sure" head out on a rehab assignment shortly after the All-Star break, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Alvarez doesn't sound like he'll be an option for the Astros' first series of the second half that begins Friday in Anaheim, but if he joins a minor-league affiliate by next weekend and is able to get at least a game or two under his belt, he could be ready to return from the 10-day injured list at some point during the third week of July. The slugger has resided on the IL since June 9 due to the right oblique strain.

Vogelbach is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.

After getting Saturday's game off while lefty Blake Snell toed the rubber for San Diego, the lefty-hitting Vogelbach will bow out of the starting nine Sunday with a right-hander (Joe Musgrove) on the hill for the opposition. Though Vogelbach should still have some level of security as the Mets' top designated hitter by virtue of banging out five hits across his last two starts, he'll still get select days off against righties. With Vogelbach sitting Sunday, DJ Stewart will pick up his first start with the Mets.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Giants will face another left-handed starter (Kyle Freeland) on Sunday, so Pederson will hit the bench for the third time in the past four games. Michael Conforto will serve as the designated hitter while Austin Slater starts in left field.