MLB Player News

Cruz (concussion) is slated to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona on Saturday, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Cruz suffered a concussion in a collision with teammate Jack Suwinski on Aug. 12 versus Milwaukee.He was subsequently placed on the 7-day injured list, but Cruz is apparently no longer dealing with concussion symptoms now that he's been cleared for game action in the minors. It's not clear how long Cruz's rehab assignment will last, but enough time has passed that he's eligible to be activated by the big club at any point.

Crow-Armstrong went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 3-2 win over the Angels.

Crow-Armstrong had been in a bit of a power drought, as Friday's home run was his first since July 23, a span of 26 games. The talented youngster still leads the Cubs with 28 long balls on the year, which also puts him in a tie for 10th in the majors. Crow-Armstrong is 10th in the majors in steals as well with 30, and he's closing in on his first career 30-30 season.

Tucker went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 3-2 win over the Angels.

The home run was Tucker's first since July 19 and his 19th of the season. The outfielder has been in a well-documented slump, as he's batting just .171 with a .530 OPS across his last 20 games. Tucker is reportedly fully recovered from a hairline fracture in his right hand that had impacted his swing, and Friday's long ball could be a sign that he's starting to feel comfortable at the plate again.

Matos went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a solo home run, a double, a stolen base and a walk in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Brewers.

Matos launched a homer to center field in the second inning, giving the Giants a 2-0 lead. The 23-year-old also lined a double to right field in the ninth, and he has recorded multiple extra-base hits in back-to-back games. He's slashing .190/.234/.421 with 16 runs scored, 14 RBI, six home runs and three stolen bases across 128 plate appearances this season.

Hernandez is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game versus Toronto.

Hernandez will get at least a partial rest day after starting each of Miami's past six games and going 4-for-20 with three RBI over that stretch. Troy Johnston is getting a start in left field in Hernandez's stead Saturday.

Taylor went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored and an RBI in Friday's win over Atlanta.

Getting the start in left field and batting seventh, Taylor joined in a 21-hit, 12-run barrage by the Mets. The veteran outfielder has started the last two games with Brandon Nimmo (neck) unavailable, but prior to that Taylor hadn't gotten a plate appearance since Aug. 5, as the acquisition of Cedric Mullins relegated him to a bench role. Roster depth wasn't the only reason for Taylor's reduced playing time -- he'd gone just 2-for-28 since the All-Star break before Friday's performance. Once Nimmo is clear to return, expect Taylor to once again be a spare part in the New York outfield.

Mullins went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, a triple, a run scored and two RBI in Friday's win over Atlanta.

It took him a few games to get adjusted to his new team after being traded by the Orioles at the deadline, but Mullins is finding his groove with the Mets. The center fielder has hit safely in five straight games, and over his last 12 contests he's slashing .304/.353/.500 with six extra-base hits (four double, a triple and a homer), one steal, six runs and six RBI.

Acuna went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Friday's loss to the Mets.

He took rookie Nolan McLean deep for a solo shot to lead off the fourth inning before adding an RBI single in the eighth. Acuna has 15 long balls in only 62 games this season, a 39-homer pace over a full campaign, and in seven contests since returning from a calf strain he's batting .296 (8-for-27) with one double, one home run, one steal, four RBI and five runs.

Pham went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, a home run, three runs scored and two RBI in Friday's 9-0 win over the Rockies.

The veteran outfielder also reached base on a hit-by-pitch, and Pham took Anthony Molina deep for a two-run shot in the sixth inning after crossing the plate in the first and second frames. Pham is up to seven homers on the season, and three of them have come in his last 16 games, a stretch in which he's slashing .245/.344/.453 with two steals, seven runs and nine RBI.

Gurriel went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Friday's 6-5 extra-innings win over the Reds.

Gurriel produced the Diamondbacks' first run with a first-inning sacrifice fly and then ended matters in the 11th with a run-scoring single. He's hit safely in eight consecutive contests, with three home runs. He has 14 RBI during the hit streak and 25 over 20 August contests.