MLB Player News

Witt was held out of the lineup for Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Twins in 11 innings due to back stiffness, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Kansas City didn't provide an immediate explanation behind Witt's absence from the lineup Sunday, so the prevailing belief was that he was exiting the starting nine for just the second time all season in a planned rest day. Instead, the back issue was apparently behind Witt getting the day off, and the Royals aren't yet certain whether the star shortstop will be ready to rejoin the lineup for Monday's series opener versus the Nationals. The Royals will wait and see how Witt feels coming out of a pregame workout before deciding on his availability leading up to the 7:40 p.m. ET opening pitch.

The Astros designated Hummel for assignment Monday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

With Houston needing to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Cristian Javier (elbow) to return from the 60-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Monday versus Boston, Hummel ended up being the casualty. The 30-year-old had been seeing steady playing time in the corner outfield coming out of the All-Star break, but his opportunities dried up once the Astros added Jesus Sanchez, Carlos Correa and Ramon Urias ahead of the trade deadline. Over 104 plate appearances on the season with Houston, Hummel slashed .172/.301/.276 with three home runs, one stolen base, seven RBI and 10 runs.

The Orioles selected Espada's contract Monday and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk.

Espada signed a minor-league contract with the Orioles in late July and has now been added to the 40-man roster, although he will remain at Norfolk for the time being. The 28-year-old holds a 3.74 ERA and 66:21 K:BB over 43.1 frames in the minors this season.

The Orioles claimed Johnson off waivers from the Giants on Monday.

Johnson was briefly in the majors with the Orioles last season, receiving one plate appearance. He had been designated for assignment by the Giants after going 5-for-29 at the plate for San Francisco. Johnson will join the Orioles' 26-man active roster, and he could see some playing time while Colton Cowser (concussion) and Tyler O'Neill (wrist) are on the injured list.

Alvarez (hand) took batting practice on the field Saturday at the Astros' spring training complex in Florida, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

After he had previously been limited to hitting in the batting cages while he works his way back from a right hand fracture, Alvarez took a small step forward in the recovery process by facing off against pitching on the field. The Astros will likely want to see Alvarez complete several live BP sessions before clearing him to participate in simulated games or minor-league games, where he'll need to stockpile at-bats to regain his timing at the plate following a lengthy layoff from action. Houston has yet to provide a firm timeline for a return for Alvarez, who has been on the injured list since May 5.

The Astros optioned Gordon to Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday.

The writing had been on the wall for Gordon's demotion, as the Astros skipped his turn in the rotation this past Sunday against the Yankees and instead had Jason Alexander start that game, even though the rookie left-hander hadn't pitched since Aug. 2. With Cristian Javier (elbow) returning from the 60-day injured list to start Monday's game against the Red Sox, the Astros now have a full five-man rotation, so Gordon will head back to Sugar Land to remain on a starter's schedule. Gordon had struggled mightily in his three starts since the All-Star break, going 1-2 with a 7.36 ERA and 1.57 WHIP across 14.2 innings.

Higashioka is absent from the lineup for Monday's game versus the Diamondbacks.

Higashioka has taken on a bigger share of the catching duties for the Rangers lately, but he'll get a breather for Monday's series opener. Jonah Heim will start behind the plate and bat ninth.

The Astros reinstated Javier (elbow) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Monday versus the Red Sox in Houston.

Houston optioned lefty Colton Gordon to clear room in the rotation as well as to open up a spot on the active roster for Javier, who is slated to make his first appearance for the big club since May 21, 2024. The right-hander is back to full health after completing his recovery from Tommy John surgery, but he endured a rocky five-start minor-league rehab assignment in which he posted a 5.14 ERA, 1.79 WHIP and 15:15 K:BB in 14 innings. In his final rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land last Tuesday, Javier covered 3.2 frames and tossed 77 pitches, so expect the Astros to monitor the 28-year-old's workload carefully as he re-enters the big-league rotation.

Cole (elbow) began his throwing program Monday by tossing around 20 pitches on flat ground, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.

The right-hander has begun what will be a months-long ramp-up period as he works his way back from UCL reconstructive surgery on his right elbow, which he underwent in March. Though Cole's surgery involved the insertion of an internal brace that will hopefully accelerate his timeline to return to game action, the right-hander admitted back in May that he anticipated a 14-month recovery. As such, Cole is unlikely to be ready to go for Opening Day in 2026, but the Yankees aren't completely ruling him out from being available for the start of the season if his rehab goes more smoothly than expected.

Hamm (undisclosed) struck out two and allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks over four innings Friday in his start for Double-A Erie after being reinstated from the 7-day injured list.

Hamm made his return to the Erie rotation after an unspecified injury kept him out of action for the Double-A club for nearly two months. Before being activated, Hamm ramped up his pitch count by making two rehab starts with Single-A Lakeland. Hamm has now made 14 starts for Erie this season, registering a 4.57 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 62:22 K:BB in 61 innings.