MLB Player News

Festa (2-3) took the loss against the Marlins on Thursday, allowing four runs on five hits and one walk while striking out seven across six innings.

Festa put the Twins behind early after yielding three runs in the first inning, highlighted by a two-run home run by Agustin Ramirez. Festa gave up another run in the third, but he settled in over his final three innings -- striking out six batters over that span -- yet didn't receive enough run support to fade the loss. He has a 7.28 ERA (in 29.2 innings) across six starts since being promoted from Triple-A St. Paul in early June, but that number is inflated by two outings in which he gave up eight runs apiece. Festa is slated to face the Cubs at home next week, which will likely be his last turn in the rotation before the All-Star break.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said that Pena (rib) could resume baseball activities this weekend, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Pena has been resting for the past few days after landing on the 10-day injured list Monday with a small rib fracture on his left side, but it sounds like he could start ramping things up soon. A timetable for the shortstop's return could become clearer after he advances in those activities.

McCormick (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McCormick has been shelved since late May with a left oblique strain but is finally ready to test things out in game action. If all goes well, he has a shot for activation from the 10-day injured list prior to the All-Star break. McCormick was playing sparingly before getting hurt and that's unlikely to change upon his return.

Alvarez was administered two injections in his right hand after a hand specialist determined Wednesday that the Alvarez is dealing with inflammation, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Alvarez experienced renewed soreness in the hand Tuesday after ramping up baseball activities, prompting a visit to the specialist. Additional imaging revealed that the main cause of the discomfort is inflammation, and the previously discovered fracture is a non-factor in Alvarez's soreness. Alvarez will be shut down for a few days before being re-evaluated. While the latest news is about as good as Alvarez and the Astros could have hoped for, there is no timetable for the resumption of his hitting progression or for his return to the active roster.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rockies, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Diaz will receive a breather for the series finale in Colorado after he had started in each of the Astros' last six games, with five of those starts coming behind the dish. Victor Caratini will handle catching duties Thursday for the Astros.

Hummel will start in left field and bat seventh in Thursday's game against the Rockies, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

With all of Yordan Alvarez (hand), Pedro Leon (knee), Chas McCormick (oblique), Zach Dezenzo (hand) and Jacob Melton (ankle) stuck on the injured list, Hummel has been able to emerge as a fixture in the Houston outfield of late. He'll pick up his fifth consecutive start in left field Wednesday and his ninth start in the last 10 games overall. Since the Astros called him up from Triple-A Sugar Land on June 14, Hummel has hit .242 with two home runs, three RBI and two additional runs over 15 games.

Dubon will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Thursday's game against the Rockies, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Dubon will cover shortstop for Houston for the fifth consecutive game and looks primed to serve as the Astros' primary option at the position until Jeremy Pena (rib) is ready to return from the injured list. The 30-year-old possesses strong contact skills and is striking out at a career-low 8.4 percent rate this season, but he doesn't hit the ball hard or for much power, which is reflected in his .247 batting average (.253 xBA) and his five home runs in 178 plate appearances.

Stanton went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run and a walk Wednesday in a loss to Toronto.

Stanton landed the biggest blow in a six-run fifth inning for New York with a 415-foot, three-run blast to center field. It was the first homer -- and the second extra-base hit of any type -- for the veteran masher since coming off the injured list and making his season debut June 16. Through 13 games this season, Stanton is slashing .244/.346/.333 with seven RBI.

Ortiz is being investigated by Major League Baseball due to a possible gambling-related offense, Zack Meisel and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report.

Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave by MLB on Thursday, and he will remain on leave through the All-Star break as the league continues its probe. MLB has the ability to extend the leave beyond that, if necessary. Ortiz had been slated to start Thursday's game against the Cubs, but the Guardians will now hand the ball to Joey Cantillo instead.

The Red Sox optioned Criswell to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday.

Criswell will return to Worcester after he was called up to serve as the Red Sox's 27th man Wednesday while Boston and Cincinnati resumed a suspended game from Tuesday before playing the series finale. He was expected to work in bulk relief in the second game of the day, but the Red Sox used five other pitchers before Criswell was called upon to record the final five outs of their 8-4 win. He kept the Reds off the board and gave up two hits during his appearance, bringing his ERA and WHIP to 5.06 and 1.78, respectively, through 10.2 innings with the big club.