MLB Player News

Fried (elbow) threw a successful 36-pitch live batting practice session Sunday and will face hitters again Thursday or Friday before embarking on a rehab assignment, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.

The veteran left-hander continues to progress in his rehab from a bone bruise in his left elbow, and he's closing in on being cleared for game action. Fried landed on the shelf in mid-May and will likely require at least a couple starts in the minors before potentially rejoining the New York starting rotation in late July.

Ramirez (hand) has been hitting off a tee and is expected to face overhand pitching soon, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

The star third baseman had the stitches removed from his surgically repaired left hand Tuesday, and it sounds as though he was immediately cleared to pick up a bat. Ramirez is aiming to return shortly after the All-Star break.

The Nationals selected Yean's contract from Triple-A Rochester on Sunday.

Washington designated outfielder Robert Hassell for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for Yean, who will be making his MLB debut when he gets into a game. The 25-year-old righty earned his first call-up after submitting a 3.69 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 43:19 K:BB in 39 innings over 38 relief appearances for Rochester.

The Nationals designated Hassell for assignment Sunday.

Part of the six-player haul the Nationals received in the August 2022 trade that sent Juan Soto to San Diego, Hassell had seen his development stall out over the past couple of seasons. The 24-year-old outfielder reached the big leagues for the first time in 2025 and produced a lowly .572 OPS in 70 games, and he hadn't shown much sign of improvement while spending the entire campaign to date at Triple-A Rochester. Over 258 plate appearances at Triple-A, Hassell struck out at a 25.2 clip and slashed .216/.307/.291 with two home runs and eight steals. Washington will move Hassell off the 40-man roster to clear a spot for right-hander Eddy Yean, whose contract was selected from Triple-A.

The Phillies signed De La Cruz to a major-league contract Sunday and optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The veteran outfielder recently exercised the opt-out in his minor-league contract with the Phillies, but he's now back in the organization as a member of the 40-man roster. De La Cruz has a .254/.344/.429 slash line with 12 homers in 75 games for Lehigh Valley this year and could soon get a look in the big leagues, with Gabriel Rincones struggling to a .553 OPS in his first taste of the majors.

Larnach is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.

The left-handed hitter had started in left field and batted leadoff in nine straight games, but he'll head to the bench Sunday while the Twins face southpaw Ryan Weathers. Austin Martin will replace Larnach in the outfield and atop the batting order.

Gray is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.

Following a four-game absence due to a hip impingement, Byron Buxton returned to center field in Saturday's 11-4 win, which resulted in Ryan Kreidler shifting back to shortstop and Gray hitting the bench. Gray started at shortstop in all four games Buxton was out, going 0-for-14 to bring his batting average down to .226 for the season.

Basallo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Basallo hasn't started against a lefty since June 3, though including Sunday, Baltimore has faced just five southpaw starters during that stretch. The rookie catcher has a .258/.329/.485 slash line with five homers, 15 RBI and six runs in his past 19 contests. Coby Mayo is batting fifth as the designated hitter in Sunday's series finale versus Nick Lodolo.

Gonzalez started at designated hitter and went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 8-1 win over the Angels.

Gonzalez went yard in the fifth inning to extend Boston's lead to 7-1. It was his first homer since coming off the injured list and his second consecutive game with two RBI. Gonzalez typically crushes left-handers, which is why he was in the lineup Saturday, but he's started four consecutive games since being activated, including two against right-handers. He can play all around the infield and could see regular turns at DH. He's gone 6-for-20 with a triple, a home run and four RBI over five games since rejoining the lineup.

Cowser is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.

Along with fellow left-handed hitters Samuel Basallo, Jackson Holliday and Dylan Beavers, Cowser will take a seat for the series finale against Nick Lodolo. Leody Taveras will replace Cowser in center field and bat seventh.