MLB Player News

The Dodgers optioned Outman to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The 27-year-old was called up by Los Angeles in early July but will return to Triple-A as Jason Heyward (knee) returns from the injured list. Outman's latest stint in the majors didn't go particularly well, as he went 3-for-15 with eight strikeouts in nine games.

The Dodgers reinstated Heyward (knee) from the 10-day injured list Sunday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The veteran outfielder landed on the shelf in early July due to a left knee contusion and will rejoin the Dodgers without going on a minor-league rehab assignment. Heyward should have a regular spot in the lineup against right-handed pitching if he can stay healthy.

Friedl (hamstring) reported to Triple-A Louisville on Sunday to begin a rehab assignment.

Manager David Bell said one week ago that Friedl was tracking toward a return from the 10-day injured list around July 26. That timeline still looks to be realistic, as Friedl will likely stick around with Louisville for at least a handful of games during the upcoming week to pick up at-bats and log some innings in the outfield as he makes his way back from a right hamstring strain. Assuming Friedl experiences no setbacks with the hamstring while he's at Louisville, he could be activated ahead of Friday's series opener in Tampa Bay.

German re-signed Sunday with the Pirates on a minor-league contract, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

German had opted out of his minor-league deal with the Pirates last week, but after canvassing the open market, he's elected to rejoin the organization. His new contract contains an Aug. 9 opt-out clause, so he could choose to pursue free agency once again in three weeks if he's not promoted to the big leagues before then. German has turned in a 5.36 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 48:28 K:BB across 50.1 innings over his 10 starts with Triple-A Indianapolis this season.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants after leaving Saturday's 4-3 win in the third inning with right calf tightness, Dennis Georgatos of the Associated Press reports.

Since Diaz had started at catcher in the first two contests of the series, he might have been due to receive a breather for Sunday's finale anyway, and the injury made it an even easier decision for the Rockies to hold him out. Jacob Stallings came off the bench to replace Diaz on Saturday and will get the starting nod Sunday. Consider Diaz day-to-day heading into the Rockies' three-game series with the Red Sox that begins Monday.

Tovar is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.

The 22-year-old has started 96 of Colorado's 99 games this season and has multiple hits in each of his past five contests, so it's a bit of a surprise he's on the bench so early after the All-Star break. Aaron Schunk will receive a start at shortstop Sunday in Tovar's absence.

Casali is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.

After going 0-for-2 with a strikeout while starting behind the plate in Saturday's 4-3 loss, Casali will return to his usual bench role in the series finale. Casali will likely be in store for just one or two starts per week while No. 1 backstop Patrick Bailey is healthy.

Estrada is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Estrada has gone 1-for-7 with a triple and two RBI in the first two games of the second half and will sit Sunday versus Colorado righty Ryan Feltner. Brett Wisely will shift to second base while Tyler Fitzgerald starts at shortstop.

Amaya is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Amaya will take a seat for the second time in the three-game series against the Diamondbacks to open up the second half of the season. Though he's sported a hot bat of late with eight hits in his last 16 at-bats, Amaya is still slashing an underwhelming .213/.275/.298 on the season. Unless Amaya sustains his hot run at the dish for a longer period of time, the Cubs could prefer to prioritize Tomas Nido at catcher due to his defensive acumen.

Mastrobuoni is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Mastrobuoni started at third base in each of the Cubs' final five games before the All-Star break as well as Friday's 5-2 loss to Arizona, but he'll hit the bench for the second day in a row to close out the series with the Diamondbacks. The 28-year-old no longer looks slated to get regular playing time moving forward after the Cubs brought Mike Tauchman back from the injured list Friday.