MLB Player News

Nootbaar was removed from Thursday's game against the Nationals in the seventh inning due to a rib cage injury, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The team stated that the move was precautionary, and Nootbaar is expected to be back in the lineup Friday versus Atlanta. While that's encouraging news, it is worth noting that the outfielder nursed a similar issue a couple weeks ago that costed him two games. Nootbaar went 1-for-3 with double and a run before departing Thursday's contest.

Crews (oblique) threw from the outfield Wednesday for the first time since being placed on the injured list in late May, Mark Zuckerman of MASN reports.

Crews began hitting off a tee and taking soft-toss batting practice in early July and continues to ramp up toward a return. He still hasn't taken traditional batting practice on the field, so he likely still has a couple hurdles to clear prior to beginning a rehab assignment. Zuckerman estimates Crews is 10-to-14 days away from activation, setting him up to rejoin the Nationals shortly after the All-Star break.

Crow-Armstrong went 3-for-4 with two homers, a double, three total RBI and three total runs scored in Thursday's 8-1 win over the Twins.

Crow-Armstrong extended Chicago's lead to 3-0 in the third inning with a two-out, two-run blast off Chris Paddack before adding a solo shot off lefty Anthony Misiewicz in the seventh. It's already the fifth multi-homer game this season for Crow-Armstrong, who's up to 25 long balls on the year. Overall, he's slashing .271/.309/.560 with 70 RBI, 67 runs scored and 27 steals across 389 plate appearances.

Wood went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's win over the Cardinals.

The All-Star outfielder belted the third of three Nationals homers on the night, taking John King deep in the seventh inning. Wood has been locked in for most of the last month, slashing .327/.439/.594 over his last 27 games with eight of his 24 long balls on the season, along with three steals, 21 runs and 24 RBI.

The Mets designated Jankowski for assignment Thursday.

Jankowski was added to the roster two-plus weeks ago but saw just one plate appearance during his time with the Mets. The veteran outfielder is likely to clear waivers and become a free agent.

Carroll went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Padres.

Carroll salvaged what was shaping up to be a day to forget with a ninth-inning home run, his 21st across 77 games. Prior to his final at-bat, he had struck out four times. After going hitless with five strikeouts in his first nine at-bats off the injured list, Carroll has strung together a three-game hit streak, which includes a double, triple and home run.

Acuna went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs and a walk in a 9-2 win against the Athletics on Wednesday.

Acuna was scratched from Atlanta's previous contest due to a back issue, but he didn't show any signs of a lingering injury Wednesday. The star slugger led off the game with a blast to left field off Mitch Spence and added another solo homer off Spence in the fourth inning. The long balls snapped a 13-game homerless stretch for Acuna, during which he batted just .158 (6-for-38) with only two RBI. Despite that rough period, Acuna is slashing a healthy .336/.454/.601 with 11 home runs, 20 RBI and four stolen bases over 41 contests.

Benson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored during Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Marlins.

Benson went 23 games without a home run before launching a solo shot Saturday against the Phillies. He clubbed another round tripper Wednesday, his eighth of the season, to snap a 0-for-12 skid at the plate. In 160 plate appearances this season, Benson is slashing .224/.281/.434.

Lile is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.

The Nationals are facing a right-hander (Andre Pallante) who owns significant reverse splits for his career, so Lile will head to the bench along with fellow left-handed hitter Luis Garcia. Alex Call will replace Lile in right field and bat sixth.

Acuna (back) will start in right field and bat leadoff Wednesday against the Athletics.

A bout of lower-back tightness prevented Acuna from starting Tuesday's contest, but he now seems to be feeling well enough to play Wednesday. The 27-year-old superstar has been in a bit of a slump at the plate lately, slashing .171/.310/.171 across 42 plate appearances over the past two weeks.