MLB Player News

Simpson (finger) will start in left field and bat fifth in Sunday's game against the Astros, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Simpson will check back into the starting nine after sore right index and middle fingers kept him on the bench the previous two nights. Before his recent absences, Simpson had recorded at least one hit in 11 of 12 starts, slashing .386/.438/.477 while adding six steals, three runs and two RBI during that stretch.

Young (hand) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Young will be kept on the bench for a third consecutive game while he manages a sore left hand. In Young's stead, Dylan Crews will cover center field Sunday and bat sixth.

The Nationals designated Hassell for assignment Sunday.

Part of the six-player haul the Nationals received in the August 2022 trade that sent Juan Soto to San Diego, Hassell had seen his development stall out over the past couple of seasons. The 24-year-old outfielder reached the big leagues for the first time in 2025 and produced a lowly .572 OPS in 70 games, and he hadn't shown much sign of improvement while spending the entire campaign to date at Triple-A Rochester. Over 258 plate appearances at Triple-A, Hassell struck out at a 25.2 clip and slashed .216/.307/.291 with two home runs and eight steals. Washington will move Hassell off the 40-man roster to clear a spot for right-hander Eddy Yean, whose contract was selected from Triple-A.

The Phillies signed De La Cruz to a major-league contract Sunday and optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The veteran outfielder recently exercised the opt-out in his minor-league contract with the Phillies, but he's now back in the organization as a member of the 40-man roster. De La Cruz has a .254/.344/.429 slash line with 12 homers in 75 games for Lehigh Valley this year and could soon get a look in the big leagues, with Gabriel Rincones struggling to a .553 OPS in his first taste of the majors.

Larnach is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.

The left-handed hitter had started in left field and batted leadoff in nine straight games, but he'll head to the bench Sunday while the Twins face southpaw Ryan Weathers. Austin Martin will replace Larnach in the outfield and atop the batting order.

Cowser is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.

Along with fellow left-handed hitters Samuel Basallo, Jackson Holliday and Dylan Beavers, Cowser will take a seat for the series finale against Nick Lodolo. Leody Taveras will replace Cowser in center field and bat seventh.

Beavers is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Beavers will hit the bench along with three other left-handed hitters (Colton Cowser, Samuel Basallo and Jackson Holliday) while the Orioles stock up on right-handed bats against Nick Lodolo. Since coming off the injured list June 28, Beavers has appeared in four games and has gone just 1-for-14 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run. Now holding down an underwhelming .222/.308/.342 slash line on the season, Beavers could be in danger of ceding starts to the likes of Leody Taveras or Tyler O'Neill if he's unable to improve on his production.

Martinez (foot) took batting practice Saturday for the first time since landing on the injured list, MLB.com reports.

Martinez has reached an important milestone in his recovery process after shedding the walking boot for his fractured left foot last week. When Martinez was placed on the injured list June 16, he was given an estimated 4-to-6-week timeline for a return. While the four-week mark would put him on track to be ready to rejoin the Guardians coming out of the All-Star break, Martinez may need a little extra time beyond that to complete a rehab assignment before Cleveland activates him from the IL.

Peters went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and a run scored Saturday against the Guardians.

Peters started his 10th consecutive game, nine of which have come in center field. He has hits in each of his last seven appearances, during which he's gone 9-for-26 with six runs scored and a stolen base. Peters offers very little pop, but he's maintained a .291 batting average with a .349 OBP across 256 plate appearances this season.

Friedl started in center field and went 1-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 8-5 loss to the Orioles.

Friedl legged out a triple in the second inning, driving in a run, and then scored the Reds' fourth run of the frame. Since the club lost two center fielders to injury -- Blake Dunn (elbow) and Dane Myers (shoulder) -- Friedl has started against right-handers while Matt McLain has gotten the call against lefties.