MLB Player News

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Judge is "moving in a pretty good direction" with his throwing program as he continues to recover from a right elbow flexor strain, and the skipper is "optimistic" that the 33-year-old will resume playing the outfield soon, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.

After returning to the lineup Tuesday as the designated hitter, Judge was cleared to resume playing catch a day later. He'll gradually increase the distance and intensity of his throwing over the next several days, but Boone was unwilling to put a timeline on when the two-time American League MVP might be ready for defensive duties. In the meantime, Judge will serve as a full-time DH. He's gone 3-for-12 with three walks, an RBI and two runs in his first four starts since returning from the IL.

Stanton is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

He was on the bench for three straight games following Aaron Judge's return from the injured list Tuesday, but Stanton rejoined the starting nine in right field Saturday. His seven-inning appearance was his first defensive action since the 2023 season, and right field looks as though it will be his primary path to playing time in the short term while Judge's elbow temporarily limits him to DH duties. According to Max Goodman of NJ.com, manager Aaron Boone said he "flirted" with the idea of handing Stanton a second straight start in the outfield Sunday, but the Yankees will take a more cautious approach with the historically injury-prone slugger.

Goldschmidt is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

After batting leadoff and going 1-for-4 in Saturday's 5-4 win while left-hander Framber Valdez started for Houston, the right-handed-hitting Goldschmidt will find himself on the bench Sunday for a third straight matchup with a righty (Jason Alexander). The left-handed-hitting Ben Rice owns a 223-point edge over Goldschmidt in OPS versus right-handed pitching on the season, so the former player could continue to be prioritized at first base in those matchups.

The Yankees recalled Escarra from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.

Escarra was pushed off the 26-man roster July 30 to clear space for some trade deadline arrivals, but he'll rejoin the Yankees after Amed Rosario (collarbone) was placed on the 10-day injured list. Escarra will provide a third option at catcher behind Austin Wells and Ben Rice, and he's also seen occasional action at first base and third base this season.

The Yankees placed Rosario on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a left collarbone SC joint sprain.

The veteran infielder was one of a trio of bench players the Yankees acquired at the trade deadline, but Jose Caballero is, at least temporarily, the last man standing from that group while Rosario joins Austin Slater (hamstring) on the IL. Rosario's injury isn't considered significant, and he could be ready to return when first eligible Aug. 19, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. He's appeared in four games for New York while going 3-for-7 with a double and an RBI.

Trammell is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.

With southpaw Max Fried on the bump for the Yankees, the left-handed-hitting Trammell will retreat to the bench. Trammell had started each of the previous three games while going 2-for-11 with a home run, a walk and two RBI. The right-handed-hitting Chas McCormick will get the start in center field Sunday and could continue to hold down the short side of a platoon at the position with Trammell until Jake Meyers (calf) is ready to return from the injured list.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.

Diaz will get a break after he had started at designated hitter or catcher in 11 straight games while batting .302 with three home runs, 10 RBI and six runs. With Diaz on the bench, Victor Caratini will handle catching duties and Jose Altuve will serve as Houston's DH.

Urias is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Urias has moved past a back issue and got the start at second base in the prior three games while going 4-for-11 with a walk, two RBI and two runs. He'll give way to Max Schuemann at the keystone Sunday, but Urias should have a fairly clear path to playing time while Max Muncy (hand) and Jacob Wilson (forearm) are on the shelf.

Garcia slugged his 19th home run of the season for Triple-A Worcester on Friday.

Garcia, who's belted 16 of his 19 homers at Triple-A, has handled the transition to the highest minor-league level without issue. He compiled a .748 OPS at Double-A Portland before his promotion, but he has a .951 OPS at Worcester. Garcia originally gained notoriety for his nickname "The Password", but he's emerged as a legitimate power prospect. He's hit seven home runs and drove in 23 runs with a 1.167 OPS over the last 15 games for the WooSox. Garcia leads the organization's affiliates in homers (19), RBI (66) and wRC+ (136).

Cortes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Cortes has started just once in the last seven games, with the A's facing four lefty starters and three righties during that stretch. Both JJ Bleday and Colby Thomas appear to have moved ahead of Cortes in the outfield pecking order.