MLB Player News

Bell is out of the lineup for Monday's game in Atlanta, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

He'll head to the bench for the series opener while Atlanta sends ace lefty Chris Sale to the hill. A switch hitter, Bell has been far more effective against right-handed pitching (.338 wOBA, 117 wRC+) than left-handed pitching (.247 wOBA, 55 wRC+) this season.

Alvarez (thumb) will start at third base and bat ninth in Monday's game versus the Nationals.

Alvarez was unable to participate in Sunday's game against the Tigers due to a laceration on his thumb, but he's been cleared to return to action after being given a day to let the injury heal. The 22-year-old cranked his first two major-league home runs in his last game Saturday in Detroit.

Lile (knee) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against Atlanta, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Lile will get at least one day off to heal up from the painful-looking injury he sustained while sliding into the left-field wall in pursuit of a flyball in the third inning of Sunday's win over the Mets. Following Lile's removal from the contest, the Nationals relayed that he had been diagnosed with a left knee contusion, so the team is seemingly viewing him as day-to-day for the time being. Robert Hassell will replace Lile in left field and will bat ninth Monday.

Abrams (shoulder) will start at designated hitter and bat second in Monday's game in Atlanta, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Abrams didn't play in Sunday's 3-2 victory over the Mets after he jammed his right shoulder late in the Nationals' 5-3 win in 11 innings a day earlier, but he'll be cleared to rejoin the starting nine as Washington opens a three-game set in Atlanta. However, Abrams won't be entering the lineup at shortstop for the first time this season, as Washington will ease him back into action in a non-defensive role. Nasim Nunez will get the nod at shortstop Monday.

The Orioles activated Rutschman (oblique) from the 10-day injured list Monday.

Rutschman has missed the last month-plus with a right oblique strain but will rejoin the Orioles' active roster for the final week of the regular season. He and Samuel Basallo should share catching duties in the final week, with both players also likely to see action action at designated hitter. Basallo could play some first base, as well.

The Orioles optioned Vazquez to the minors Monday.

He'll give up his spot on the 28-man active roster to catcher Adley Rutschman (oblique), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Vazquez had played sparingly since being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on Aug. 1, appearing in 24 games while batting .189 with one home run and two steals.

Vargas allowed one run on one hit in 1.2 innings Sunday against the Astros. He struck out one.

Vargas has been a liability out of the Seattle bullpen of late, giving up at least one run in three of his last four outings. The right-hander has mostly worked as a middle reliever and in low-leverage situations in 2025, and that's unlikely to change at this stage of the season while the Mariners try to clinch a playoff berth. Through 74 frames, Vargas has a 4.01 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 51:23 K:BB with 14 holds while converting just one of his eight save opportunities.

Ferguson allowed one run on three hits in one-third of an inning Sunday against the Astros.

The Mariners acquired Ferguson from the Pirates ahead of the trade deadline to bolster their bullpen, but he hasn't been particularly reliable for his new team. Through 18.1 innings for Seattle, the southpaw has a 3.93 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 14:7 K:BB. Given Ferguson's shakiness, Gabe Speier will likely remain the preferred left-handed high-leverage arm for the M's in the future.

Treinen (1-7) was charged with a loss and a blown save against San Francisco on Sunday, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks with no strikeouts over two-thirds of an inning.

After Emmet Sheehan gave the Dodgers seven scoreless, one-hit innings, Treinen entered in the eighth to try to preserve a 1-0 lead. The veteran reliever got into trouble immediately, allowing a pair of singles and then a ground-rule, run-scoring double as San Francisco tied the score. Treinen next retired his first batter, but he followed an intentional walk with a non-intentional one to force in another run, then allowed an RBI groundout for the final tally on his line. It's been a very rough September for the right-hander, who has posted an uncharacteristic 11.57 ERA, 2.43 WHIP and 6:9 K:BB while taking five losses over nine appearances spanning seven innings this month. Treinen was a big part of Los Angeles' run to the championship last year, but it's fair to wonder if manager Dave Roberts will feel comfortable going to him in high-leverage situations at the start of the postseason given Treinen's recent struggles.

The Pirates are expected to call up Barco from Triple-A Indianapolis for the final week of the season, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

One of the top pitching prospects in the Pittsburgh system, Barco will move up to the majors after he compiled a 2.81 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 116:49 K:BB in 99.1 innings between stops at Indianapolis and Double-A Altoona this season. While the Pirates likely envision the 24-year-old lefty serving as a big-league starter in the long run, he made four of his final five appearances with Indianapolis in relief, so he'll most likely work out of the bullpen during his initial stint in the majors. With Pittsburgh cognizant of managing the workloads of young starters Bubba Chandler, Mike Burrows and Braxton Ashcraft as the season winds down, Barco could be an option to pitch multiple innings behind any of those pitchers when their turns in the rotation come up this week.