MLB Player News

Manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Stanton (calf) is scheduled to face live pitching Wednesday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

The veteran slugger has been on the shelf since late April due a right calf strain, and going up against live pitching is a significant step in his recovery program. Stanton also returned to running outside over the weekend, as he appears to be in the final stages of his rehab work. It remains to be seen if he'll require a rehab assignment before being activated, but a quick trip to the minors wouldn't be surprising given how long Stanton has been out.

Civale (shoulder) began a throwing progression Monday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Civale is throwing again just under a week after landing on the injured list due to right shoulder tendinitis. The Athletics aren't yet putting a timeline on his return, so Civale would appear to be unlikely to be activated when first eligible June 10. A clearer target for Civale's return should become available once he reaches the point in his throwing program that he's facing hitters.

The Athletics announced Tuesday that Severino has been diagnosed with a strain of his right shoulder capsule and subscapularis muscle and will be re-evaluated in 4-to-6 weeks, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Severino sustained the injury during his most recent start Friday against the Yankees and was placed on the 15-day injured list a day later. The right-hander underwent an MRI on Monday that confirmed the severity of the shoulder strain, which he'll treat with a platelet-rich plasma injection Thursday. Severino will wait for the shot to take effect before he begins the rehab process, and since he's not expected to start ramping up his throwing until he gets re-evaluated at the beginning of July, the 32-year-old would appear unlikely to return from the IL before the All-Star break.

Manager Joe Espada said Tuesday that Altuve (oblique) is expected to take live batting practice before the end of the week, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The veteran second baseman has been sidelined nearly three weeks due to an oblique strain but is progressing quickly through his rehab program. Espada previously indicated that Altuve may not require a minor-league rehab assignment before rejoining the Astros, so facing live pitching could be the final hurdle before he's cleared to come off the injured list.

Bender struck out one in a scoreless two-thirds of an inning Tuesday to record his fifth hold of the season in a win over the Nationals.

The right-hander picked up his first hold since April 28 as the Marlins continue to mix and match bullpen options behind closer Pete Fairbanks. Bender hasn't pitched poorly of late -- quite the opposite in fact, as he's posted a 1.46 ERA, 12:1 K:BB and microscopic 0.24 WHIP over 12.1 innings since the beginning of May. Without more consistent usage, however, Bender's fantasy appeal will remain very limited.

Gusto surrendered three runs on five hits over two innings of relief in Tuesday's win over the Nationals.

Called up from Triple-A Jacksonville earlier in the day, Gusto tossed 40 pitches (28 strikes) in what wound up being a bullpen day for the Marlins. The right-hander had been stretched out at Triple-A, lasting five-plus innings in five of his last seven outings for Jacksonville, but his usage Tuesday -- Gusto was the third pitcher into the game after Lake Bachar and John King -- suggests Miami may not view him as a viable rotation option, either working behind an opener or as a traditional starter. Until they're willing to promote top prospect Karson Milbrandt, however, the Marlins' staff will be awfully thin while Eury Perez (hamstring) and Janson Junk (shin) are on the shelf.

Clemens is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

Most of Clemens' absences from the lineup this season have come against left-handed pitching, but he'll get a breather Wednesday while the White Sox send righty Erick Fedde to the hill for a day game after a night game. Clemens had started in every game for the Twins dating back to May 15, slashing .239/.280/.437 with two home runs, eight RBI and seven runs over that 18-game stretch. The 30-year-old had seen playing time at all three outfield spots as well as first base and second base during that period, but he's likely to receive most of his starts at first base moving forward now that Byron Buxton is back to playing center field on a more regular basis.

Hentges allowed an earned run on two walks over one-third of an inning in Tuesday's 8-3 loss to the Brewers.

Hentges retired the first batter he faced but walked the next two before being pulled, ending his outing with six strikes across 15 pitches. The left-hander has surrendered an earned run in back-to-back appearances after giving up just two hits and zero runs in his first seven games of the season. He owns a 2.25 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 9:10 K:BB across eight innings in nine outings on the campaign.

King (2-1) picked up the win in Tuesday's 7-3 victory over the Nationals, tossing 1.2 perfect innings of relief. He didn't strike out a batter.

Lake Bachar got the start on a bullpen day for Miami and worked into the third inning before handing the ball to King, who needed just 26 pitches (14 strikes) to record his five outs. The southpaw wound up being credited with the win after Ryan Gusto, the pitcher who replaced him, coughed up three runs in two frames. King has been scored upon only once in his last seven appearances, posting a 2.25 ERA and 0.50 WHIP in eight innings over that stretch despite a lackluster 4:1 K:BB as he fills a flexible middle-relief role for the Marlins.

Vivas is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

Vivas had started at second base twice and third base once over the Nationals' previous four games, going 2-for-11 with a walk and a run scored during that stretch. Washington has seemingly moved Curtis Mead into a full-time role at third base, but Vivas could end up getting more opportunities at the keystone if Nasim Nunez continues to languish at the plate. Though he leads the majors with 22 stolen bases, Nunez is slashing just .182/.256/.221 since the start of May.