MLB Player News

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Judge (ribs) will begin a hitting progression this week, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Judge has been playing catch and running, as well as "doing swing-related stuff in the pool" the last couple days, per Boone. The three-time MVP will begin a hitting progression this week as he continues to work his way back from a stress fracture in his rib. A timeline for Judge's return hasn't been established yet, but he appears to be making incremental steps in the right direction.

Robles (shoulder) will start in right field and bat eighth in Tuesday's game against the Brewers.

Robles was unavailable to play in the Mariners' last contest Sunday versus the Astros due to right shoulder soreness, but he's good to go after Monday's team off day. He'll handle right field for Seattle while Taylor Ward (quadriceps) is on the mend.

Ward (quadriceps) remains out of the lineup for Tuesday's game in Milwaukee.

Ward has not played since last Wednesday as be battles nagging tightness in his quad. The Mariners have been listing him as day-to-day, but he's available off the bench for Tuesday's series opener and could be back in the lineup Wednesday, per Tim Booth of The Seattle Times. Victor Robles will cover right field in Ward's stead.

Bellinger (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment Thursday at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and is expected to play in at least two games before potentially rejoining the Yankees, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

The 31-year-old was previously expected to begin the rehab assignment Tuesday, but he'll instead return to game action later in the week. Bellinger has been out nearly a month due to the hamstring strain, and he could be back with the Yankees before the end of the weekend if he hits the ground running with the RailRiders on Thursday and Friday. It may be more realistic to expect him to be reinstated from the injured list next week, however.

Mesa (hamstring) is starting in right field and batting sixth Tuesday against the Blue jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 24-year-old didn't start the past three games after exiting Friday's contest due to left hamstring tightness, but he's back in action Tuesday against Toronto righty Jose Soriano. Mesa has been performing well at the plate lately with five extra-base hits (two homers) and a .955 OPS across his last eight games.

Lee is not in the lineup for Tuesday's contest in Cleveland.

Lee is in a 5-for-33 rut at the plate, so he will receive a day off in order to regroup. Victor Bericoto will slot into right field for the Giants in the series opener.

DeLauter (hamstring) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game versus the Giants.

DeLauter was forced to leave Sunday's game against the Padres with left hamstring tightness, and the team off day Monday wasn't enough to get him over the hump. The good news is that an MRI came back clean, per Tim Stebbins of MLB.com, and DeLauter is feeling better Tuesday. Angel Martinez, Steven Kwan and Jo Adell will be in the outfield and Travis Bazzana will serve as the Guardians' designated hitter Tuesday.

Frelick (shoulder) joined the Brewers on Tuesday for a workout and will then continue his minor-league rehab assignment, Hunter Baumgardt of Fox Sports 920 Milwaukee reports.

Frelick is already seven games into his rehab assignment, and Tuesday's workout should help to determine how many more minor-league games he'll need before coming off the injured list. The 26-year-old has just five hits in 22 at-bats in his rehab games thus far, though three of those knocks have gone for extra bases.

Baez went 0-for-9 with a hit-by-pitch and a run scored while starting in both ends of Monday's doubleheader in Cincinnati.

Since making history Saturday in his MLB debut at Wrigley Field with three home runs and five RBI in his first three at-bats, Baez has gone hitless with six strikeouts in his subsequent 16 trips to the plate. Given that the 23-year-old outfielder struck out at a 29.5 percent clip at Triple-A Memphis this season, his early struggles with making consistent contact in the big leagues don't come as a major surprise and could make him prone to slumps. Even so, the all-fields power Baez put on display in his debut and during his time in the minors in addition to his aggressiveness as a baserunner (21 steals in 24 attempts at Memphis) should be more than enough to offset the risk he carries in the batting-average category. He should also benefit from ample RBI opportunities, as the Cardinals slotted him fifth in the order in three of his first four starts.

The Reds optioned Marte to Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

Marte is just 4-for-30 with a 1:10 BB:K in August to drop his season batting line to .189/.229/.321. With Marte back in the minors, the Reds are likely to give Hector Rodriguez regular reps in right field.