MLB Player News

Acuna (calf) flew to Cleveland on Thursday ahead of Atlanta's weekend series against the Guardians, and he's expected to come off the injured list Friday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The team likely wouldn't have sent Acuna ahead if it wasn't very confident he is fully recovered from his calf strain, but he likely won't be officially activated until after a final workout Friday. The 27-year-old outfielder has been sidelined since July 29, and on the season he sports a 1.006 OPS, 14 homers, four steals, 26 RBI and 48 runs in only 55 games.

Doyle went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 8-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Doyle homered twice against Arizona over three games last weekend and has quickly resumed his power surge with the teams clashing again in Colorado. The outfielder is up to 11 homers this season, including four over 12 games in August. He's gone 15-for-39 (.385) with nine RBI this month. For the season, Doyle is up to a .234/.281/.370 slash line with 40 RBI, 44 runs scored and 11 stolen bases across 101 games.

Gurriel went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run, a walk and a stolen base in Thursday's 8-2 win over the Rockies.

Gurriel received a day off Wednesday after going 0-for-8 over the first two games of a series versus the Rangers. He was back in the starting lineup Thursday and made a quick impact with his first-inning homer. The outfielder is up to 15 long balls on the year, including three over 13 games in August. He's added 62 RBI, 41 runs scored, 10 steals, 22 doubles, two triples and a .244/.294/.406 slash line over 112 contests. Gurriel continues to operate as Arizona's primary left fielder.

Harris went 3-for-4 with an RBI double, a run scored and a stolen base during Thursday's 4-3 win over the Mets.

Harris has been on a tear at the plate recently, notching multiple hits in each of his last six games. Thursday's effort marked his first three-hit game of that stretch, though. He's 13-for-25 (.520) with three home runs and two stolen bases during the streak. On the year, Harris has 13 home runs, 14 steals and a disappointing .678 OPS.

White is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets.

He's now been on the bench in favor of Vidal Brujan -- who will get another start in right field Thursday -- in three of the past five contests. White is 0-for-14 with nine strikeouts over his last five games, and with Ronald Acuna's (calf) return imminent, White's playing time is about to slip even more.

Crow-Armstrong is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Toronto.

Crow-Armstrong has had a dreadful start to August, going 3-for-41 with a 15:0 K:BB. He will get a breather Thursday to regroup while Willi Castro patrols center field for the Cubs.

The Nationals activated Crews (oblique) from the 60-day injured list Thursday.

Crews is finally ready to rejoin the active roster after missing almost three months with a left oblique strain. The 23-year-old had been a major disappointment before getting hurt, slashing .196/.266/.354 with seven home runs, 11 stolen bases and a 27.7 percent strikeout rate. Still, the upside with Crews warrants scooping him back up in fantasy leagues where he's available.

Laureano went 3-for-4 with a home run, a walk, three total runs and two total RBI in an 11-1 victory against the Giants on Wednesday.

Laureano's homer in the rout was a two-run blast in the fifth inning that made the score 10-0. The veteran outfielder already has the second-most homers (17) and RBI (56) of his career through 94 games, and he could reach his respective career-best marks of 24 and 67 that he set with the A's in 2019. Laureano has been especially potent since joining San Diego at the trade deadline, slashing .333/.400/.600 with two home runs, 10 RBI, nine runs and a stolen base through 12 contests.

Lee went 1-for-3 with a triple and a run scored in Wednesday's 11-1 loss to the Padres.

Lee tripled to right field in the seventh inning before coming around to score the Giants' lone run. The 26-year-old outfielder has recorded at least one hit in three consecutive games and has hit safely in 11 of 12 games overall this month. He's slashing .333/.362/.533 with nine runs scored, five doubles, three RBI, two triples, one stolen base and a 10.6 percent strikeout rate across 47 plate appearances in August.

The Cubs recalled Caissie from Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The 23-year-old slashed an impressive .291/.391/.567 with 22 home runs over 402 plate appearances this season at Iowa to earn his first look in the majors. How frequently Caissie ultimately plays with the big club will be a question mark. Caissie is limited to the corner outfield and designated hitter, and the Cubs have all of Kyle Tucker, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki at full health and available to fill out those three spots on an everyday basis. The rookie is starting in the DH spot and batting fifth in his major-league debut Thursday in Toronto.