MLB Player News

Walker is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Athletics.

Walker has been in the lineup for nine of the last 10 games, but he has just a .386 OPS and 37.2 percent strikeout rate across his last 16 contests. Nathan Church will be in right field and bat ninth for the Cardinals.

Steer (leg) remains out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays.

Steer will miss a second straight start because of a lingering leg issue. He was able to appear in Monday's game off the bench and presumably will be available again Tuesday. Sal Stewart is again handling first base and batting sixth for the Reds.

Barlow will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher in Tuesday's contest versus the Blue Jays, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Nick Lodolo was scheduled to start but was scratched due to an illness, so the Reds will go with an impromptu bullpen game Tuesday. Barlow will likely pitch an inning or two before being followed by a slew of relievers.

Lodolo has been scratched from Tuesday's start against the Blue Jays due to illness, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds will go with a bullpen game Tuesday instead, with Scott Barlow leading the way. It's unclear whether Lodolo's next start will simply be pushed back a few days or if his turn will be skipped.

Ferris has a 3.89 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 124:61 K:BB in 115.2 innings for Double-A Tulsa.

The 6-foot-4 lefty is the second-youngest qualified pitcher at Double-A (Ferris turns 22 in January), so he can be given a little slack for not having pinpoint control at this stage. However, Ferris logged an 11.5 percent walk rate in 28.1 innings at Double-A last year and has an 11.9 percent walk rate this year, so things aren't trending in the right direction. He issued six walks in 6.2 innings in his most recent start Aug. 29 and has walked three or more batters in five of his last six starts, although he has been effectively wild (2.08 ERA, one home run allowed) during that stretch.

The Nationals signed Alfaro to a one-year contract Tuesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Alfaro recently opted out of his minor-league deal with the Brewers after slashing .244/.285/.430 with 15 home runs and 12 stolen bases with Triple-A Nashville. He'll give the Nationals an experienced catcher with Keibert Ruiz (concussion) still working his way back and Drew Millas (finger) out for the season.

Rodriguez is slashing .283/.331/.447 with five home runs, six steals, a 6.1 percent walk rate and a 15.3 percent strikeout rate in 36 games for Triple-A Louisville.

Rodriguez was promoted to Louisville on July 18 after he slashed .298/.357/.481 with 12 home runs, six steals and a 13.9 percent strikeout rate in 82 games for Double-A Chattanooga. A bat-first player who will likely end up in left field or at designated hitter, Rodriguez will have a high offensive bar to clear, but he has premium bat speed and contact ability. He is a very aggressive hitter (58.8 percent swing rate at Triple-A) who is still working on getting the ball in the air a bit more (flyball rates below 30 percent at Double-A and Triple-A). Still, Rodriguez won't turn 22 until March, so he's ahead of schedule. He will be added to the 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

The Mets recalled Young from Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday.

Young has posted a .964 OPS with 15 home runs in 66 games with Syracuse this season. He's managed three more long balls in 45 plate appearances with the Mets, though he's slashing only .171/.222/.415 with a 33.3 percent strikeout rate. Young is likely to be used mostly in a pinch-hitting role.

The Mets optioned Waddell to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.

Waddell tossed 4.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Sunday's loss to the Marlins but now finds himself back in the minors. The Mets have elected to replace him on the roster with a position player in Jared Young.

Gonzalez slashed .288/.404/.455 with four home runs, 33 steals, a 16.2 percent walk rate and a 15.8 percent strikeout rate in 52 games in the Dominican Summer League.

The top teenage international prospect to sign on Jan. 15 this year, Gonzalez lived up to the hype in his pro debut. His athleticism was arguably the standout trait during his tour of the DSL, as he registered a 9.7 speed score on FanGraphs while going 33-for-38 (86.8 percent success rate) on the bases. Gonzalez only played shortstop this season and projects to stick there long term.