MLB Player News

McCutchen will sit Tuesday against the Rays.

McCutchen was also absent from Sunday's lineup, so it's possible he's dealing with an unreported injury. Odubel Herrera slides to left field in his absence, with Travis Jankowski starting in center.

Choi was placed on the injured list as expected Tuesday with a left hamstring strain, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Choi left Sunday's game against the White Sox with what was originally called hamstring tightness, but the diagnosis has since been updated to a strain. He's expected back within two weeks and could return after the minimum 10 days, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports. Nelson Cruz was activated from the COVID-19 injured list and could be used as the first baseman in Choi's absence during the Rays' two-game series in Philadelphia.

Canha went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in a loss to the Mariners on Monday.

The veteran outfielder extended his career-best stolen-base tally to 12 while reaching safely for the third straight game. Canha also snapped an ugly four-game streak of multiple strikeouts, part of a late-August skid that's seen him hit just .111 (3-for-27) over his last seven contests.

Ramirez (knee) will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with High-A Lake County.

Sidelined since Aug. 11 with a sore right knee, Ramirez should be in store for a relatively brief rehab assignment before perhaps rejoining Cleveland over the weekend. Once Ramirez is back in the fold, Oscar Mercado could lose hold of an everyday role in the Cleveland outfield.

Stanton went 2-for-3 with a homer, a double and three RBI in Monday's 5-1 win over Atlanta.

Stanton opened the game's scoring with a solo shot in the second inning, his 21st of the year. He later added a go-ahead, two-run double in the sixth. The 31-year-old slugger is enjoying a strong August, going 23-for-71 (.324) with five homers and 18 RBI. For the year, Stanton owns an .844 OPS through 104 games.

Lewis (knee) has picked up baseball activities in the past few days and could begin a rehab assignment over the weekend, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Lewis has been out since the end of May with a torn right meniscus. The length of his absence likely means he'll require a fairly long rehab assignment, but it looks like he should be able to return to the active roster for a significant portion of September, barring setbacks.

Torrens will sit for Monday's game against Oakland.

Torrens has been the Mariners' primary designated hitter throughout the second half, though he doesn't exactly have the stereotypical bat for the position. In 271 plate appearances this season, he's hit .211/.277/.421. Mitch Haniger will fill that role Monday, with Jake Bauers taking Haniger's usual spot in right field.

Choi (hamstring) is expected to be placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Choi was diagnosed with left hamstring tightness after he exited Sunday's game against the White Sox in the second inning. The Rays haven't provided a timetable for his return, but Topkin reports the first baseman will be out "a while." Nelson Cruz (illness) is slated to return from the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday and is a candidate to fill in at first base while the Rays play in a National League park in Philadelphia.

Pederson will be on the bench Monday against the Yankees.

Pederson will hit the bench against lefty Jordan Montgomery, as he's done against four of the previous six southpaws Atlanta has faced. Guillermo Heredia starts in center field in his absence.

The Nationals claimed Ford off waivers from the Rays on Monday and optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Washington will likely stash the 29-year-old at Triple-A for at least the next week before potentially promoting him to the big club when rosters expand to 28 men Sept. 1. After submitting a 134 wRC+ across 163 plate appearances with the Yankees as a rookie in 2019 when injuries opened up playing time at first base and designated hitter, Ford has struggled to replicate that success over multiple stints at the big-league level in the past two seasons (.134/.250/.276 slash line in 156 collective PAs). With Josh Bell set to enter his final year of arbitration in 2022 and Ryan Zimmerman bound for free agency (and perhaps retirement) this winter, Ford will at the very least improve the organization's depth at first base heading into next season.