MLB Player News

Veen is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Orioles.

The left-handed-hitting Veen will be relegated to the bench for the third game in a row, with two of those absences coming against left-handed pitching. Since getting called up from Triple-A Albuquerque on Aug. 11, Veen has posted a strong .791 OPS, though he's struck out in 13 of his 34 plate appearances (38.2 percent).

Steele (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Steele has managed to successfully toss several bullpen sessions, proving that he's ready to progress to facing live hitters. He'll presumably need to make at least a few appearances in the minors before being activated from the 60-day injured list, at which point he would likely provide support for the Cubs out of the bullpen considering he won't have enough time to build back up to a starter's workload.

Ramirez isn't in the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Brewers due to back spasms, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Ramirez is hitting .333 with two runs, nine RBI and eight runs scored over his last seven games, but he'll be held out Monday with the back issue. It remains to be seen whether he'll be back in the starting nine for Tuesday's matchup.

Ortiz is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cubs.

On the bench for the third time in six games, Ortiz has begun to find himself as the odd man out on the left side of the Milwaukee infield. Ortiz should continue to see regular starts against left-handed pitching, but Cooper Pratt and David Hamilton are likely to be prioritized ahead of him versus righties.

Vaughn is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cubs.

The recent return of Sal Frelick from the injured list appears to have cost Vaughn playing time against right-handed pitching. With Frelick settling back in as the Brewers' primary right fielder, Jake Bauers has resumed seeing most of his playing time at first base, closing off Vaughn's primary path to playing time. Vaughn will head to the bench Monday for a fourth straight game.

Gurriel (thigh) will likely be activated from the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Gurriel has been out on a rehab stint since Aug. 18, and while it hasn't been pretty, he's logged eight games in the minors without any health issues. The 32-year-old is hitting .107 with three RBI and one run scored during this most recent rehab stint. It remains to be seen how Gurriel will slot into the big-league lineup following his return, though he figures to see somewhat regular at-bats between left field and the DH slot.

Karros is hopeful to be cleared from the league's concussion protocol Tuesday, and then play for Double-A Hartford from Thursday to Sunday, Eli Whitney of Blake Street Banter reports.

This plan all depends on whether Karros comes out of concussion protocol Tuesday, though either way, he appears to be trending in the right direction. The 24-year-old landed back on the concussion injured list Aug. 23 after experiencing additional symptoms, so the club is presumably taking it slow with the third baseman to ensure he's fully healthy before activating him. If all goes well, Karros could be back in the big leagues for the start of Colorado's road series Sept. 8 against the Yankees.

Arizona optioned Fernandez to Triple-A Reno on Monday.

After two weeks with the big-league club, the Diamondbacks are sending Fernandez back to Triple-A. Over his last seven games in the majors, the 22-year-old slashed .267/.389/.267 over 18 plate appearances. Arizona needed to clear a roster spot for Ketel Marte (knee) in his return from the 10-day injured list.

The Cardinals optioned Crooks to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.

Crooks has been unable to find a groove at the plate since he was called up in late May, slashing just .179/.255/.336 with five home runs and a 32.2 percent strikeout rate. With Crooks returning to Memphis, the Cardinals are poised to promote Leo Bernal on Tuesday to work into the catcher mix with Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages.

The Marlins recalled Gibson from Triple-A Jacksonville on Monday.

Miami had just optioned Gibson to Triple-A on Wednesday, but he'll be able to rejoin the big club less than a week later after infielder Xavier Edwards (thumb) was placed on the injured list in a corresponding move. The 28-year-old southpaw owns a 5.87 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 32:19 K:BB over 38.1 innings for the Marlins this season.