MLB Player News

The Pirates transferred Cruz (hand) to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Cruz hasn't suffered any setbacks in his recovery from a hand fracture he suffered in June, but the Pirates will move him to the 60-day IL to free up a 40-man spot for Khristian Curtis, who was selected to the active roster Saturday. Cruz will now be eligible to return from the injured list Aug. 8 and figures to have a strong chance to return after a minimum-length stay if his rehab continues smoothly.

Dunn (elbow) has shown improvement and hit off a tee July 11, MLB.com reports.

Dunn made himself indispensible in center field prior to landing on the injured list in late June. He was soon joined by Dane Myers, who was activated from the IL on Friday after rehabbing a shoulder injury. Myers joins TJ Friedl as the primary center fielders while Dunn rehabs.

Conine went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-1 extra-inning loss to the Brewers.

The second-generation player took Logan Henderson deep in the fifth inning for the Marlins' only offense on the night. Conine has been productive in a strong-side platoon role since he came off the IL in late June, and over his last 61 plate appearances he's produced a .308/.410/.596 slash line with four of his six homers on the season and nine of his 13 RBI.

Lile went 2-for-6 with a three-run homer and an additional RBI in Friday's win over the A's.

Lile was one of three players who went yard for the Nationals in this 23-run outburst, launching a ninth-inning blast off Carlos Cortes. While Lile is up to 11 homers on the season, he hasn't been seeing the ball particularly well of late. He's hitting just .222 across 45 at-bats since the start of July (11 games), although six of his 10 knocks have been extra-base hits over that span (three homers, three doubles).

Tawa started in center field and went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Cardinals.

Tawa, who entered the break on a three-game hit streak, extended it to four games with a third-inning solo homer that tied the game at 2-2. He's gone 9-for-17 with three home runs, three doubles and eight RBI during the hit streak. With news that Tommy Troy (shoulder) will miss multiple weeks, Tawa is poised to help fill the void in center field along with Ryan Waldschmidt. Tawa has also been getting time at first base, a position where the Diamondbacks rank last in MLB with a .594 OPS.

Isbel (foot) participated in a full team workout Friday and could begin a rehab assignment next week, per MLB.com.

Isbel has been shelved since June 10 with a Grade 3 tear of a portion of his left plantar fascia. He had been aiming to begin a rehab assignment before the All-Star break, but soreness prevented those plans from materializing. The 29-year-old's participation in Friday's workout is a positive step, though how he feels afterward and whether he's able to avoid soreness will determine how soon he'll begin a minor-league rehab assignment and ultimately return to the active roster. In Isbel's absence, Lane Thomas has handled center-field duties.

Ward went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in a 3-2 win over Houston on Friday.

Ward came to the plate in the eighth inning with his team trailing 2-1 before he belted the eventual game-winning homer. It marked the 32-year-old's second homer in his past three games. On the season, Ward has slashed .256/.388/.367 with seven homers, 27 RBI and three steals in 443 plate appearances.

Spence went 1-for-3 with a walk in a 3-2 loss to Baltimore on Friday.

Spence was called up to make his big-league debut in center field after Brice Matthews (knee) was placed on the 10-day injured list. The 23-year-old Spence went on to pick up his first hit in the seventh inning off Grant Wolfram. Spence should continue to see playing time in center field for Houston.

Shaw is still feeling discomfort related to his left hand sprain and has yet to resume swinging a bat, Vinnie Duber of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Shaw has been sidelined by his sprained hand since late June, and he likely will remain without a timeline to return until he's able to swing a bat without any pain. In the meantime, Seiya Suzuki should continue to receive the majority of the starts in right field, with Michael Conforto and Kevin Alcantara getting occasional reps.

Thomas went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk while striking out once in Friday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Padres.

In his first at-bat, Thomas belted a solo home run to left field off Michael King, giving Kansas City a 1-0 lead at the time. This marks back-to-back multi-hit games for the 30-year-old after he went 3-for-4 with a double against Baltimore before the midseason break. On the campaign, Thomas has slashed .238/.339/.404 with eight homers, 32 RBI and four steals in 274 plate appearances.