MLB Player News

Lara is out of the lineup for Monday's game versus the Pirates.

Lara has been in a quasi-platoon with Andrew Vaughn lately, getting starts in right field on days that Jake Bauers is at first base. For Monday's series opener, Vaughn will cover first base, while Bauers mans right field.

Pratt is out of the lineup for Monday's game versus the Pirates.

Pratt appears to be receiving a routine day off after starting in each of the previous eight contests. The Brewers will go with Joey Ortiz at shortstop in Monday's series opener.

The Red Sox acquired Rogers, catcher Adley Rutschman (wrist) and cash from the Orioles on Monday in exchange for catcher Carlos Narvaez, right-handers Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, outfielder Enddy Azocar and a player to be named later, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Rogers will be on the move for the second time in less than a week, after he played in just three games for the Orioles after being acquired from the Tigers last Thursday. While with Boston, he'll likely form a timeshare with Connor Wong at catcher in the short term, but Rogers could be in danger of being designated for assignment once Rutschman is ready to come off the injured list. Between his stops with Detroit and Baltimore, Rogers has posted an abysmal .163/.270/.296 batting line over 116 plate appearances, but he's valued mainly for his game-calling ability and defensive savvy more so than anything he does with the bat.

Harrison (elbow/forearm) is ready to go for Wednesday's start against the Pirates, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Harrison bounced back from his last rehab start without any discomfort in his arm, so he'll start Wednesday's game with an extra day of rest. The lefty tossed 5.2 scoreless frames while striking out five and walking three July 30 at High-A.

The Rays recalled Grove from Triple-A Durham on Monday.

Grove will give the Rays a fresh arm to round out their bullpen after Craig Kimbrel was designated for assignment and Alex Cook was optioned to Triple-A earlier Monday to create room on the roster for the club's recent trade additions. The right-hander has been up with the Rays on two other occasions this season but made his lone appearance with the big club June 27, when he struck out four over three scoreless innings in a win over the Diamondbacks.

The Blue Jays acquired Arrighetti (foot) from the Astros on Monday in exchange for outfielder Daulton Varsho and cash considerations.

Arrighetti is currently on the shelf while he recovers from right foot nerve irritation, though he threw in the bullpen Sunday and and could be ready for activation by mid-to-late August, per MLB.com. The righty logged a 1.34 ERA in his first eight starts this season but had stumbled with an 8.34 ERA in his last nine outings prior to landing on the injured list. Arrighetti has a career 24.6 percent strikeout rate at the big-league level, though that impressive mark has also come with an 11.5 percent walk rate.

The Astros acquired Varsho and cash considerations from the Blue Jays on Monday in exchange for Spencer Arrighetti (foot).

The Astros have been desperate for outfield help and have landed on Varsho, who is slashing a disappointing .243/.307/.375 with seven home runs, nine stolen bases and a 29:71 BB:K over 99 games this season. The impending free agent had an .833 OPS with 20 home runs in just 71 games last season, and he's among the better defensive center fielders in the game.

The Angels acquired Ballesteros and right-hander Mason McGwire from the Cubs on Monday in exchange for right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ballesteros had been playing regularly at Triple-A Iowa over the past six weeks, but he may not have to wait long to receive another look in the majors with the Angels, either as a designated hitter or as an option at catcher. The 22-year-old is firmly a bat-first catching prospect, though the Angels will likely have more patience than the Cubs in overseeing his development behind the dish. After recently dealing away Logan O'Hoppe, the Angels are left with the underwhelming veteran duo of Travis d'Arnaud and Tyler Heineman as their catching tandem, and it wouldn't be surprising if Ballesteros was prioritized ahead of them down the stretch. Ballesteros has already demonstrated himself to be a big-league-caliber hitter, producing a .249/.328/.408 slash line with a 10.8 percent walk rate and 19.9 percent strikeout rate over 241 career plate appearances with the Cubs.

The Brewers traded Ragsdale and Alexander Frias to the Cardinals on Monday in exchange for Dustin May and JoJo Romero, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Ragsdale has been one of the breakout prospects of the year, particularly since mid-June. In 36 games since June 17, Ragsdale is slashing .333/.459/.783 with 17 home runs, nine doubles, nine steals, an 18.2 percent walk rate and a 24.7 percent strikeout rate. A seventh-round pick in 2025 out of Boston College, Ragsdale not only controls the strike zone, but 76.7 percent of his balls in play at Double-A were either line drives or flyballs. On the season, he has 19 home runs and 31 steals (on 34 attempts) in 86 games across High-A and Double-A.

The Mets acquired Stafura from the Pirates on Monday in exchange for right-hander Luke Weaver and cash considerations, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.

Stafura will be on the move for the second trade deadline in a row, after the Pirates previously acquired him last July as part of the deal that sent third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes to Cincinnati. A 21-year-old shortstop, Stafura possess good range at the position but may need to eventually move down the positional spectrum to second base or center field. Stafura had been enjoying a strong season at the plate for High-A Greensboro, mashing 19 home runs and going 16-for-17 on stolen-base attempts while slashing .301/.365/.656 over 211 plate appearances.