MLB Player News

Encarnacion-Strand is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Marlins.

With Noelvi Marte returning from the injured list Friday, the Reds' position-player group is now back to full strength with the exception of outfielder Jake Fraley (shoulder), who remains on the shelf. As a result of the logjam in the infield, Encarnacion-Strand has unsurprisingly found himself as the odd man out of the lineup more frequently. Encarnacion-Strand will head to the bench for the third time in four games since Marte's activation.

The Reds optioned Hinds to Triple-A Louisville on Monday.

After being promoted from Louisville on June 22, Hinds appeared in seven games for the Reds and went 2-for-23 with four runs scored. In a corresponding move, the Reds reinstated Connor Joe (illness) from the 10-day injured list, and he'll likely replace Hinds as a short-side platoon player in the corner outfield.

The Reds activated Joe (illness) from the 10-day injured list Monday.

Joe was shelved for nearly two weeks while dealing with a bout of hand, foot and mouth disease. He's ready to go after a brief rehab assignment and should resume his role as a short-side platoon bat.

Beck is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.

Mickey Moniak will slide over from right field to cover left field in place of Beck, who will take a seat for the first time since June 17. While starting in each of the Rockies' last 17 games, Beck slashed .278/.307/.444 with two home runs, two steals, nine RBI and nine runs.

Freeman (hamstring) will start in right field and bat leadoff in Monday's game against the Red Sox.

A sore right hamstring kept Freeman from playing in Sunday's 6-4 win over the White Sox, but the day off was apparently all he needed to move past the issue and re-enter the lineup for the series opener in Boston. Before sitting out Sunday, Freeman had been wielding a hot bat to kick off July, going 10-for-22 with four doubles, one walk, three stolen bases, two runs and two RBI.

The Rockies recalled Blalock from Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday.

Blalock will join the 26-man active roster as a replacement for right-hander Chase Dollander, who was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Though Dollander had been working out of the rotation, Blalock could be ticketed for a long-relief role with Colorado. The Rockies will close out their first-half schedule with six games this week, and an off day Thursday would allow the team to get by with a four-man rotation until the All-Star break. Blalock has previously made five appearances (three starts) for Colorado this season, posting a 12.94 ERA and 2.06 WHIP over 16 innings.

The Rockies optioned Dollander to Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday.

Dollander has failed to gain any traction in his first 15 major-league starts, putting up a 6.68 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 52:33 K:BB over 68.2 innings. Unsurprisingly, most of his struggles have occurred at Coors Field, where he's held a 9.37 ERA and 1.96 WHIP in eight starts. The move to send Dollander down now could have been made in part to manage his workload around the All-Star break, as the Rockies can get by with four starters this week if they so choose. He should get another opportunity in the majors at some point in the second half.

Sykora was lifted after one inning in his most recent start Saturday for Double-A Harrisburg due to an unspecified injury, but he's not expected to miss extended time, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

One of the top prospects in all of baseball, Sykora has made two starts for Harrisburg after he was promoted from High-A Wilmington in late June. Sykora struck out three of the four batters he faced in the first inning of Saturday's outing, but he was mysteriously pulled from the contest ahead of the second inning, with Harrisburg providing no explanation for his early exit. While details on the nature of Sykora's injury are still scarce, the 21-year-old right-hander doesn't appear to be dealing with anything overly concerning. That said, Sykora could miss out on a few starts, and the injury seems likely to keep him from pitching in the All-Star Futures Game this Saturday.

Adam earned a hold against the Rangers on Sunday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter in one scoreless inning.

Adam was summoned from the bullpen with San Diego nursing a two-run lead in the seventh inning and got the job done, working around a two-out single to record a scoreless frame. The right-hander was credited with his 20th hold of the season -- third-most in the majors behind Abner Uribe (25) and Bryan Abreu (22). Adam was named to his first All-Star Game on Sunday as a reward for a dominant campaign during which he's posted a 1.61 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 52:19 K:BB over 44.2 innings spanning 44 appearances.

Devers went 2-for-3 with a run scored, a walk and a hit-by-pitch in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Athletics.

Devers singled in the fifth inning before coming around to score. He added another single in the sixth, marking his first multi-hit performance since June 26. The 28-year-old has now tallied at least one hit in six consecutive games, slashing .333/.444/.476 with four RBI, three runs scored, three doubles and a 4:6 BB:K across 27 plate appearances during that span.