MLB Player News

Griffin (finger) went 1-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts while playing seven innings at shortstop Sunday in his first rehab game with Double-A Altoona.

Griffin kicked off his rehab assignment Sunday in what was his first game action since landing on the injured list July 6 due to a torn sagittal band on his left ring finger. Per Jason Mackey of MLB.com, the 20-year-old will be in Pittsburgh on Monday for a pre-planned evaluation before the Pirates map out his next steps. Griffin is eligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list Friday, and he could be reinstated on that day if his finger responds well over his subsequent rehab games.

Ewing went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Astros.

Ewing had gone 0-for-11 with four strikeouts over his previous three games. He's now 20 games removed from his last multi-hit effort, but the Mets are out of contention and willing to let the young outfielder get some big-league experience down the stretch. Overall, Ewing is batting .236 with a .659 OPS, seven home runs, 22 steals, 28 RBI, 42 runs scored, 17 doubles and a triple over 96 contests as a rookie this year.

Soto went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Astros.

Soto has gone 2-for-7 over two games since he returned from a month-long absence due to a calf strain. He's served as the designated hitter in both games, and it's unclear if he'll see much action in the field as the Mets continue to evaluate young outfielders A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge down the stretch. For the year, Soto is batting .283 with a .950 OPS, 22 homers, 54 RBI, 48 runs scored, eight doubles, two triples and seven stolen bases over 86 contests.

Lindor went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Astros.

Lindor went deep to lead off the bottom of the first inning, answering opposing shortstop and leadoff hitter Jeremy Pena's blast from the top half of the frame. Lindor has gone 7-for-27 (.259) over his last seven games, but he has two homers and two doubles in that span. The shortstop's bat has never really gotten going this year -- he's hitting .234 with a .745 OPS, 14 homers, 34 RBI, 46 runs scored, nine doubles, four triples and three stolen bases across 80 contests in a season marred by a two-month absence due to a calf strain.

Thornton allowed two runs on six hits and a hit batsman while striking out five and walking none over five innings in a no-decision versus the Astros on Sunday.

Thornton gave up a solo home run to Jeremy Pena just three pitches into the game, but he didn't let things spiral from there. Over six outings in August, Thornton surrendered just 13 runs (12 earned) across 31.2 innings while posting a 23:7 K:BB. He's at a 2.93 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 45:14 K:BB through 61.1 innings over his first 11 big-league starts. The 24-year-old southpaw's next outing is projected to be at home versus the Giants.

Herrera went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Pirates.

Herrera was on the front end of a double steal during the seventh inning after his RBI double against Camilo Doval. While speed isn't a huge part of Herrera's game, he's up to eight steals this season, though this one was his first since Aug. 3. The 26-year-old hit .241 in August, which is right in line with his .243 average for the season. Herrera has added a .733 OPS, 14 home runs, 55 RBI, 82 runs scored, 24 doubles and one triple across 137 contests.

Burleson went 1-for-4 with one RBI, a stolen base and a walk in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Pirates.

Burleson's run production has been strong this year -- he's second in the majors with 100 RBI, trailing only Sal Stewart's 104. Burleson concluded August batting .311 (32-for-103) for the month while adding 29 RBI in 28 contests. Overall, he's hitting .288 with an .829 OPS, 21 homers, 33 doubles, 78 runs scored and four stolen bases across 137 games.

Saggese went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Pirates.

Saggese got the start at shortstop Sunday after JJ Wetherholt (wrist) landed on the injured list. A natural second baseman, Saggese has a path to playing time on the left side of the infield while Wetherholt and Blaze Jordan (ankle) are sidelined. It may end up becoming a platoon situation somewhere for the right-handed-hitting Saggese, while lefties Cesar Prieto and Nolan Gorman could see more opportunities against right-handed pitchers. For the year, Saggese is batting .210 with a .560 OPS, one home run, four RBI, 11 runs scored, two doubles, one triple and one stolen base over 87 plate appearances in the majors.

Liberatore (5-13) allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out nine over 5.2 innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Pirates.

The long ball was a problem again -- Esmerlyn Valdez hit a two-run homer in the second inning, and Jared Triolo added a solo shot in the fifth. Liberatore has allowed multiple homers in consecutive starts and has given up eight homers in as many starts since the All-Star break. In that span, he's also surrendered 30 runs (29 earned) over 41 innings. Liberatore is having a disappointing campaign with a 5.41 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 141:47 K:BB across 134.2 innings over 27 starts. He's projected for a road start in Colorado in his next outing, which is one fantasy managers should probably avoid.

Cruz went 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, two stolen bases and two runs scored in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Cardinals.

Cruz went 5-for-13 during the three-game weekend series versus St. Louis. The outfielder was able to make an impact with speed in this contest, picking up his first steals since Aug. 19. For the season, he's 24-for-28 on the basepaths. Cruz is batting .263 with an .835 OPS, 17 home runs, 52 RBI, 52 runs scored, 11 doubles and one triple over 75 contests this year, and he's hit .256 (10-for-39) since returning from a fractured hand.