MLB Player News

Stanton (calf) took swings against Carlos Rodon (elbow) on Monday, MLB.com reports.

Stanton has been swinging a bat for some time, but that doesn't necessarily gauge where he's at in his recovery from a strained right calf. Still, standing in against Rodon suggests that the slugger is making progress, and he could log more live at-bats Tuesday versus recovering hurler Clarke Schmidt (elbow). Stanton also did some jogging in the Yankee Stadium outfield Monday, and the hope remains that he'll be ready for activation off the IL before the end of August.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Monday that the team is "still very optimistic" that Judge (ribs) will return this season, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Cashman explained that "there's a very high likelihood" Judge will be able to recover from the fracture in his right ribs in time to play again this season but acknowledged that "there's challenges with all that too." Naturally, Judge's return could be impacted by New York's place in the standings, and the team currently sits 3.5 games out of first place in the AL East but a comfortable six games up for a wild-card spot. Judge hasn't played since May 31, and he's yet to resume baseball activities, so despite Cashman's optimism, the slugger doesn't appear anywhere close to rejoining the big-league club.

Schlitter took a no-decision Monday against the Cardinals, allowing four runs on four hits and five walks in three innings. He struck out six.

It was a rare dud for the All-Star right-hander, who submitted his shortest outing of the season and needed 83 pitches to complete three frames. The four runs allowed were his most since June 30 against Detroit, and the five walks also marked a season-worst figure. Schlittler has a 4.32 ERA and 1.34 WHIP over 10 home starts as opposed to 1.10 ERA and 0.74 WHIP across 14 outings on the road in 2026, so he'll be trying to solve his home woes this weekend at Yankee Stadium versus Atlanta.

Duran went 4-for-4 with a solo home run and a double Monday in a loss to the Giants.

Duran was by far the most productive offensive player for Texas, logging four of the team's seven hits and accounting for the Rangers' only run with a solo blast to left field in the ninth inning. The utility man posted his second four-hit performance of the season and snapped a 2-for-19 cold spell at the plate. Duran continues to provide immense value both with his bat and with his defensive versatility -- he's slashing .274/.326/.455 with 13 homers, 51 runs, 59 RBI and nine stolen bases through 394 plate appearances this season while making double-digit appearances at three different positions in the infield (shortstop, third base and second base) as well as at two different positions in the outfield (left field and right field).

Quantrill (4-4) allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits and one walk while striking out four batters over six innings in a loss to San Francisco on Monday.

Quantrill was hurt by two errors behind him in the second inning, allowing the Giants to scored a pair of unearned runs. The only other time San Francisco scored against him was when Jung Hoo Lee swatted a solo homer in the third. Quantrill retired 11 of the 13 batters he faced following that homer, but Texas' offense couldn't provide enough runs to take the righty off the hook. Despite the loss, Quantrill recorded his second quality start of the campaign (though it's worth nothing that he didn't move into the rotation until late June). He's produced a respectable 3.31 ERA over 35.1 frames since then, with all but one of his eight appearances coming as a starter. It remains to be seen, though, if Quantrill will remain in the rotation when Jordan Montgomery (elbow), Cody Bradford (elbow) and/or Jack Leiter (ankle) return from the injured list.

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

New York will presumably call up another reliever from Triple-A to replace Chivilli, who was rocked for six earned runs on five hits and one walk while working an inning out of the bullpen Monday. The 24-year-old righty now owns a 3.78 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 16:7 K:BB in 16.2 innings in the big leagues this season.

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

Dominguez is expected to give up his spot on the 26-man active roster and in the everyday lineup to outfielder Heliot Ramos, whom the Yankees acquired in a trade with the Giants on Monday. Since making his return from the injured list June 13 after recovering from an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder, Dominguez slashed just .235/.274/.382 with five home runs, seven steals, 10 RBI and 18 runs in 44 games.

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 Astros optioned Spence to Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday.

Spence had already begun to cede more starts in center field to Taylor Trammell over the past week, and the rookie's playing-time outlook would have worsened had he stuck around after the Astros acquired Daulton Varsho on Monday. The Astros have thus elected to send Spence back to Sugar Land, where he'll get the chance to play regularly. During his first taste of the big leagues, Spence slashed just .162/.244/.189 with a 36.6 percent strikeout rate over 41 plate appearances.