MLB Player News

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Monday that Holmes has elected to treat his right elbow injury with rest and rehab rather than undergoing Tommy John surgery or another procedure, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Holmes has been diagnosed with damage to his UCL, but after weighing opinions from two doctors, he'll attempt to recover from the injury through non-surgical methods. Atlanta doesn't have a timeline for when Holmes will begin a throwing program, but if he hasn't shown enough progress early in the offseason, surgery would still be an option. Per O'Brien, even in the best-case scenario, Holmes won't be back on a mound until spring training.

Crow-Armstrong is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds.

Left-hander Nick Lodolo will toe the slab for the Reds, and the left-handed-swinging Crow-Armstrong will yield to switch hitter Willi Castro in center field. Crow-Armstrong has been an everyday player this season, but he's slashed only .200/.230/.429 with a 30.7 percent strikeout rate against left-handed pitching. With Castro now in the fold, Crow-Armstrong could start sitting more often when the opposition sends a southpaw to the bump.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday that Blackburn (shoulder) will make another rehab start Friday, Joe Pantorno of amNY.com reports.

Blackburn looks ready to return from the 15-day injured list, having collected a 2.21 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 22:6 K:BB in 20.1 innings over four rehab starts. However, the Mets aren't ready to remove Frankie Montas from the rotation at this point, so they'll kick the can down the road and have Blackburn make another rehab start. Blackburn has been out since early July with a right shoulder impingement.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday that the team is considering using an opener ahead of Montas in his next scheduled turn through the rotation Saturday versus the Brewers, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Montas' issues aren't exclusive to the first inning, but he has a 6.43 ERA and opponents have slashed .333/.379/.667 against him in the opening frame this season. The Mets will mull using the right-hander in a bulk-relief role this weekend as they seek to get him on track. Montas has posted a 6.68 ERA and 29:10 K:BB over 33.2 innings covering seven starts this season.

Sosa will start at second base and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Orioles.

Sosa will pick up his fourth straight start in the Philadelphia infield, with two starts coming against righties and two coming against lefties. He'll likely remain a staple in the lineup versus lefties as a platoon mate for the left-handed-hitting Bryson Stott at second base, but Sosa could still give way to Otto Kemp at third base more often than not when the Phillies face righties. Kemp and Sosa will both see their opportunities at the hot corner dry up once Alec Bohm (rib) is cleared to return from the injured list.

McCray will start in right field and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Pirates, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The left-handed-hitting McCray will be awarded a third straight start -- all against right-handed pitching -- after he went 2-for-9 with a triple, an RBI and a run in the Giants' three-game series versus the Mets over the weekend. After trading Mike Yastrzemski to the Royals on Thursday, the Giants appear to be giving McCray a look as a strong-side platoon player in right field, but McCray will likely need to raise his performance in his subsequent starts in order to hold off Jerar Encarnacion for playing time versus righties.

Flores (hamstring) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Pirates, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Flores isn't expected to land on the 10-day injured list after his left hamstring tightened up on him in Friday's 4-3 win over the Mets, but he'll end up missing out on a third straight start nonetheless while he remains day-to-day. With Flores on the bench Monday, Dominic Smith will serve as the Giants' designated hitter and Rafael Devers will start at first base.

The Giants optioned Matos to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday.

Even after the Giants shipped Mike Yastrzemski to the Royals on Thursday, Matos was unable to take control of anything more than a short-side platoon role in the San Francisco outfield. The left-handed-hitting Grant McCray started over Matos in right field in both of the final two games of the weekend series versus the Mets, who sent right-handers to the mound in those contests. Matos should get the chance to play on an everyday basis at Sacramento.

The Giants activated Encarnacion (oblique) from the 10-day injured list Monday.

Encarnacion is not in the lineup for Monday's game against Pittsburgh, but he should see a healthy amount of playing time down the stretch as the Giants see how he fits into their long-term plans. The 27-year-old has been limited to only eight contests at the big-league level in 2025 due to a fractured hand and more recently due to an oblique strain.

The Pirates activated Oviedo (lat/elbow) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Monday versus the Giants.

Oviedo will make his 2025 debut for the Pirates after he missed the entire 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and the first four months of this season while working his way back from a right lat strain. The right-hander threw 62 pitches in his final rehab start last Tuesday, so he'll face some workload restrictions against the Giants.