MLB Player News

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Rizzo (forearm) recently hit "full bore" off a Trajekt pitching machine, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Rizzo has resumed taking batting practice in recent days, but despite seemingly making good progress in his recovery from a fractured right forearm, the Yankees aren't yet willing to offer up a timeline for his return from the 60-day injured list. If or when Rizzo makes it back from the IL, he may not be guaranteed an everyday role at first base. Rookie Ben Rice (.713 OPS in 150 plate appearances) has outproduced Rizzo (.630 OPS in 291 plate appearances) since getting a promotion from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 18, when Rizzo was initially placed on the IL.

Montero (3-5) allowed four runs on five hits across five innings of work to earn the win Sunday against the Giants. He walked four and struck out two.

While Montero managed to earn his second straight win, he was much less effective Sunday compared to his last outing Tuesday, when he allowed just one run over six innings. Overall, the rookie now has a 5.76 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 54.2 innings, making him a risky fantasy proposition moving forward. He at least has been a little bit better lately, turning in a 4.50 ERA across his last three appearances. Montero will aim for his third straight win when he takes the mound again next weekend against the Yankees, which projects to be a tricky matchup for the young righty.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Sunday in an appearance on SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio that Schmidt (lat) will begin a rehab assignment around Aug. 22 and is tracking toward a return from the 60-day injured list in the second week of September, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Schmidt and manager Aaron Boone had both recently expressed optimism that the right-hander would return from the IL before the end of August, but that now appears unlikely, unless the Yankees opt to have Schmidt prepare for a bullpen role upon his activation. At least for the time being, the Yankees seem content to have Schmidt get stretched back out for a starting role, which means he'll need to build up his pitch count over two or three minor-league outings before rejoining the big club. Schmidt is slated to throw around 30 pitches in a live batting practice session Wednesday, and perhaps another after that before reporting to an affiliate.

Vierling went 2-for-4 with a double, a solo home run, an additional run scored and two total RBI in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Giants

Vierling started the game with a leadoff home run, his 14th long ball of the season. He is setting a new career best with each blast, and he now has a career-high 46 RBI this year as well. His .737 OPS would also be his best since he recorded an .843 mark across 34 games with the Phillies during his 2021 rookie campaign. Vierling should continue to see regular playing time for the Tigers in the outfield and at third base, giving him decent fantasy value as long as he stays productive at the plate.

Dingler went 2-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Giants

Dingler collected his first home run and first multi-hit game at the MLB level. Through seven appearances, the rookie catcher is now batting .208 with a .727 OPS. Dingler is splitting time behind the plate with Jake Rogers, though the latter is mired in a 1-for-23 slump. As a result, Dingler could take on a larger share of the work at least in the short term, which would give his fantasy value a slight boost.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Boyd (elbow) is expected to return from the 15-day injured list to start Tuesday's contest at home versus the Cubs, Nick Camino of 3 News Cleveland reports.

Boyd has missed the entirety of the 2024 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he looks set to make his season and Guardians debuts Tuesday. The left-hander has completed five rehab starts with multiple minor-league affiliates, including Triple-A Columbus, producing an impressive 0.83 ERA with 27 punchouts over 21.2 innings. Boyd reached 63 pitches in his most recent start Wednesday with Columbus, so he'll likely still be on some sort of pitch limit against Chicago.

Foley did not appear in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Giants, with Will Vest earning the save instead.

Foley last pitched Friday and before that Wednesday, so he seemingly should have been available for the save opportunity Sunday. Instead, Vest was used and earned his first save of the season. Foley leads the Tigers with 15 saves, but he's also struggled a bit recently, as he has a 5.68 ERA and 1.74 WHIP since the beginning of July. Foley has a tenuous hold on the closer role, and with six Detroit relievers now having saves this year, it's a fairly murky bullpen situation at this point.

Vest worked around a walk to pitch a scoreless ninth inning and secure the save in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Giants. He struck out one.

Vest blew a save in his last appearance Thursday when he allowed two runs while retiring only two batters. The veteran righty bounced back with a better performance Sunday to earn his first save of the season. Jason Foley leads Detroit with 15 saves, but he wasn't used in Sunday's game after last pitching on Friday. Six players on the Tigers now have saves this year after Vest recorded his first, making this a murky bullpen at best currently.

Alvarez went 2-for-2 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Sunday's 8-4 win over the Red Sox.

Alvarez was perfect at the plate and went deep for the fifth time in as many games. He has hit safely in eight of nine August contests, tallying multiple hits six times with eight RBI and eight runs scored. On the year, the 27-year-old is hitting .307 with 25 homers, 63 RBI and 68 runs scored across 483 plate appearances.

Pena went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run, a double, a stolen base and an additional run scored in Sunday's 8-4 win over the Red Sox.

Pena was a thorn in the side of the Red Sox on Sunday, matching his 2023 season totals in homers (10) and steals (13). He's been a bit volatile in August, logging four multi-hit efforts while going hitless in his other five games. On the season, the shortstop is hitting .273 with 54 RBI and 59 runs scored across 480 plate appearances in what has been a solid bounceback campaign.