MLB Player News

The Yankees optioned Volpe to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following Monday's 13-7 loss to the Cardinals.

Volpe didn't play Monday but had gone 0-for-11 with three strikeouts in his last three games, bringing his slash line down to an unremarkable .240/.325/.322 over 194 plate appearances in the big leagues. Rather than keeping Volpe on hand as part of a timeshare at shortstop with Jose Caballero, the Yankees plan to promote top prospect George Lombard from Triple-A to take over as their everyday option at the position, according to Jack Curry of YES Network. Caballero, meanwhile, is expected to shift into a utility role, and Volpe will get the chance to play on a regular basis at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The Yankees will call up Lombard from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre prior to Tuesday's game against the Cardinals, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

The top prospect in the Yankees' farm system, Lombard will be headed to the majors while the big club makes some significant changes to the roster following Monday's 13-7 loss. In order to clear a spot for Lombard, the Yankees will option four players to the minors, including shortstop Anthony Volpe and outfielder Jasson Dominguez. The 20-year-old Lombard earned the call to the big leagues after slashing .268/.405/.440 with six home runs and 10 stolen bases across 262 plate appearances for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre since being elevated from Double-A Somerset on April 29. Lombard is likely to settle in as New York's everyday shortstop while Jose Caballero shifts into more of a utility role.

The Angels acquired Nimmala, Eddie Micheletti and Angel Rivero from the Blue Jays on Monday in exchange for Jose Soriano, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Nimmala is the big get here for the Angels. A first-round pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, Nimmala has missed time with injuries this season but has slashed .279/.355/.451 with four home runs and four stolen bases in 33 games since arriving at Double-A New Hampshire. The 20-year-old shortstop is at least a year away from reaching the majors, but he has loads of upside.

Pena went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Rangers.

Pena extended Houston's lead to 3-0 with his 13th homer of the season, a two-run shot off Kumar Rocker. The 28-year-old Pena has been on a tear at the dish -- he extended his hitting streak to 14 games Sunday, going 26-for-60 (.433) with seven homers and a 1.335 OPS in that span. Overall, Pena's boosted his slash line to .322/.375/.529 across 280 plate appearances this year with 53 runs scored. 36 RBI and eight stolen bases.

Caballero went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Cubs.

Caballero supplied all of New York's offense, taking Colin Rea deep for a two-run homer in the third inning. The blast snapped an 18-game homer drought dating back to his two-homer performance July 6. The infielder has gotten off to a slow start in the second half, batting 9-for-43 (.209) over 13 games, but he has found success on the basepaths with five stolen bases over that span. For the season, Caballero is slashing .241/.292/.384 with 11 home runs, 12 doubles, 40 RBI, 37 runs scored and 27 stolen bases across 96 games.

The Blue Jays acquired Southisene and outfielder Brett Bateman from the Cubs on Sunday in exchange for right-hander Kevin Gausman, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Regarded as the superior of the two prospects heading back to the Blue Jays, Southisene has enjoyed a strong season at High-A South Bend, slashing .326/.451/.372 with 20 steals in 44 games since he was promoted from Single-A Myrtle Beach on May 2. Though the 21-year-old middle infielder is touted for his speed and plate discipline, his profile is completely lacking in power; he's yet to hit a home run in 157 career minor-league games.

Walcott (head) was placed on the 7-day minor-league injured list Sunday, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Walcott was struck in the head by a pickoff throw during his contest with Double-A Frisco on Saturday, and he'll now be forced to spend time on the IL as a result. The Rangers' top prospect has posted a .308 average with three home runs, nine RBI, 13 runs scored and three stolen bases over 13 contests since his promotion to Double-A.

Williams will start at shortstop and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Tigers.

Williams will cover shortstop for the series finale while Jacob Wilson is day-to-day with a patellar tendinitis. Though Williams had been included in the lineup in six of the Athletics' previous seven games, each of those starts came against left-handed pitching. The Athletics could still prioritize Tommy White, Donovan Walton and Jeff McNeil over Williams for reps in the infield versus righties.

Baez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

After being activated from the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Baez started in each of the Tigers' ensuing four games -- twice in center field, twice at shortstop -- and went 8-for-19 with a double, five RBI and five runs. Baez is likely to see the bulk of his playing time at shortstop moving forward, as top prospect Max Clark was called up Friday and is poised to serve as the Tigers' everyday center fielder. Kevin McGonigle will shift over from third base to cover shortstop Sunday in what likely amounts to a planned rest day for Baez.

Velazquez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.

Velazquez started in four of the Royals' ensuing five games following his call-up from Triple-A Omaha on July 22, but he's since seen his playing time fall by the wayside. He'll hit the bench Sunday for the fifth time in six games and could be in danger of being pushed off the roster when the Royals likely reinstate Bobby Witt (back) from the injured list Tuesday.