MLB Player News

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Alvarez is absent from Monday's lineup versus the Twins due to left shoulder soreness, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Mendoz said Alvarez will be available off the bench, though he would prefer to give his top catcher the full day off before returning him to the lineup Tuesday. Luis Torrens will draw the start behind the dish Monday.

Estevez, when asked Monday what his role with the Phillies would be, responded, "I'm down for whatever, man," Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Estevez was acquired in a trade with the Angels on Saturday, with pitching prospects George Klassen and Samuel Aldegheri going the other way. Estevez saved 20 games and produced a 2.38 ERA and 0.74 WHIP prior to the move, but his new manager Rob Thomson typically preferred a committee approach. Estevez may well be ahead of both Jose Alvarado (13 saves) and Jeff Hoffman (nine saves) on the closer depth chart, but his share of the ninth inning will likely be smaller than it was in Los Angeles.

Darvish (personal/elbow) remains without a clear timetable for his return, though the Padres remain optimistic that the right-hander will rejoin the club at some point later this season, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Darvish has been on the restricted list for the last three-plus weeks while dealing with an unspecified personal issue. His timetable to rejoin the Padres is open-ended, and given that he hasn't done any throwing in a month, it will take him awhile to be built back up. Darvish initially went on the injured list back in early June with a strained groin and more recently dealt with an elbow issue, but he was trending in a good direction health-wise before going on the restricted list.

Rojas is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees.

Rojas is on the bench for a third straight game, with the Phillies facing off against right-handed starting pitchers on two of those occasions. He appears to have moved into a fourth-outfielder role following the recent acquisition of Austin Hays. Rojas can provide value off the bench for the Phillies as a late-inning defensive replacement and pinch runner, but it'll be difficult to extract much fantasy utility from him while he's not getting regular starting opportunities.

The Phillies optioned Rucker to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday.

He'll give up his spot on the 26-man active roster and in the Philadelphia bullpen to right-hander Carlos Estevez, whom the Phillies acquired from the Angels over the weekend. Rucker has spent most of the season recovering from a right hand arterial vasospasm, but the Phillies brought him back from the 60-day injured list Friday. The righty didn't end up making any appearances out of the bullpen over the weekend in the Phillies' series with the Guardians, however.

The Marlins claimed Hensley from the Astros on Monday.

Hensley hit just .177/.273/.274in 46 games with Houston from 2022 through 2023 and has spent all of 2024 at Triple-A Sugar Land, where he's slashed .234/.352/.376 with seven home runs and 17 stolen bases over 81 contests. He can play all over the infield and outfield, giving Miami some utility depth. Expect him to stick around at the Triple-A level initially and join the Marlins' affiliate in Jacksonville.

The Dodgers acquired Kopech, right-hander Oliver Gonzalez and utility player Tommy Edman (wrist) on Monday in the three-team trade involving the White Sox and Cardinals, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports. The White Sox received infielder/outfielder Miguel Vargas, infielders Alexander Albertus (undisclosed) and Jeral Perez and a player to be named later or cash considerations, while the Cardinals acquired Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham and a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Kopech has offered a mixed bag in a full-time move to relief in 2024, striking out 59 across 43.2 innings but also walking 24 and posting a 4.74 ERA. The Dodgers will hope to fix his control and home-run issues, and if they can, he has the potential to be a dominant late-inning weapon. Kopech is also under team control for 2025. John Brebbia should be the favorite for saves in the White Sox's bullpen for now, though he could also be traded ahead of Tuesday's deadline.

The Cardinals acquired Pham, right-hander Erick Fedde and a player to be named later or cash considerations on Monday in a three-team deal involving the White Sox and Dodgers, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports. The White Sox received outfielder/infielder Miguel Vargas, infielders Jeral Perez and Alexander Albertus (undisclosed) and a player to be named later or cash considerations, while the Dodgers received infielder/outfielder Tommy Edman (wrist) and right-handers Michael Kopech and Oliver Gonzalez.

Pham will make his return to St. Louis, will whom he began his big-league career in 2014 before he was traded to Tampa Bay in July 2018. After remaining unsigned throughout the offseason before inking a one-year deal with the White Sox in April, the 36-year-old outfielder has been a solid performer in an everyday role in 2024, slashing .266/.330/.380 with five home runs and six stolen bases across 297 plate appearances. He may not take on as favorable of a spot in the lineup in St. Louis as he had enjoyed with Chicago, but Pham should settle into a near-everyday role for the Cardinals and could even see more run-scoring and run-producing chances while playing for a more competitive club with a more talented collection of hitters.

Ohtani went 0-for-4 with a walk, a run and a stolen base in Sunday's 6-2 win against the Astros.

Though Ohtani had a three-game multi-hit streak snapped, he extended his streak of contests with a stolen base to three. The slugger has elevated his acumen on the basepaths to even greater heights this season, as he's already set a career high with 27 steals while getting caught just four times. Of course, Ohtani has excelled in other ways as well, slashing .314/.404/.639 with 32 home runs, 76 RBI and 82 runs in what has been an MVP-caliber campaign so far.

Bogaerts went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Sunday in a loss to Baltimore.

Bogaerts temporarily brought San Diego to within a run with his two-run blast to left field in the sixth inning. The long ball extended the infielder's hitting streak to eight games, during which he's slashing a scorching .545/.571/.788 with four RBI, seven runs and a stolen base. Bogaerts is batting .489 over 45 at-bats since returning July 12 from a lengthy stay on the injured list.