MLB Player News

Mountcastle (concussion) was activated off the injured list Tuesday.

Mountcastle's concussion wound up costing him 10 days, but he's ready to go now just two days after resuming baseball activities. He'd been swinging a very hot bat immediately prior to his absence, homering three times while building an eight-game hitting streak. Ryan McKenna was optioned in a corresponding move.

Rizzo (illness) was cleared to participate in baseball activities on the field prior to Tuesday's doubleheader against the Red Sox, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Though Rizzo appears to have cleared all health and safety-related protocols after testing positive for COVID-19 more than a week ago, the Yankees won't yet activate him from the injured list. Instead, the Yankees will likely wait and see how he feels physically after taking batting practice and going through drills Tuesday before determining if he's ready to return for Wednesday's series finale with Boston. Whenever Rizzo is reinstated from the IL, he should quickly take back everyday duties at first base from Luke Voit.

Freeman went 3-for-4 with a walk and a three-run home run in Monday's 12-2 rout of the Marlins.

He took Paul Campbell deep in the fourth inning, part of a seven-run frame for Atlanta. Freeman has gone yard in back-to-back games, giving him 26 homers on the year, and he's slashing a strong .327/.386/.500 through 14 contests in August.

Cron went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Monday's 6-5 win over San Diego.

Cron launched a walkoff solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning off Daniel Hudson. It was his 20th long ball of the year and sixth in 13 games this month. Since the start of August, the 31-year-old slugger has gone 18-for-45 (.400) with 21 RBI and just eight strikeouts. Cron is slashing .263/.373/.508 through 100 games this season.

Diaz (thumb) is not in the lineup Monday against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Diaz will be on the bench for the third straight game as he continues to battle a sprained left thumb. He was reportedly available off the bench Sunday in an emergency, and his outlook could be similar for Monday's contest.

Rizzo (illness) will go through a cardiac screening Monday, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Manager Aaron Boone is hopeful that Rizzo will be able to hit and take grounders at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday if Monday's screening goes well. While the 32-year-old won't be activated right away, he appears to be trending toward a return. Rizzo has been sidelined since Aug. 8 after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Vaughn started in right field and went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Yankees.

Vaughn slugged his 14th home run to put the White Sox on the board in the sixth inning. This was his seventh appearance and fifth start in right field, as manager Tony La Russa navigates an injury to Adam Engel (groin). Brian Goodwin started in right field Saturday against a right-hander before Vaughn's start against a lefty.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Walker got "a little bit of a blow" when he was held out of the starting lineup for two games over the weekend, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. The manager expects Walker to start Tuesday against the Phillies.

Walker was held out of games Saturday and Sunday while Asdrubal Cabrera filled in at first base. With the team off Monday, Walker will get three days of rest before attempting to jumpstart his bat, which has produced a .636 OPS from first base, ranking him last among the 29 first basemen with at least 300 plate appearances.

Beaty went 1-for-1 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 14-4 win over the Mets.

Beaty replaced Max Muncy in the eighth inning and blasted a two-run homer in the ninth inning off Brandon Drury. It was his first long ball since July 4. He has lost playing time due to players returning from injury and mostly picks up the occasional pinch-hit appearance. On the season, he is slashing .260/.361/.373 with five homers, 32 RBI and 30 runs scored in 205 plate appearances.

Cronenworth went 1-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and two walks in Sunday's 8-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Cronenworth slammed a two-run home run off Zac Gallen in the fifth inning, giving the Padres a three-run lead. In addition, he walked twice, including a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning that scored Wil Myers. The 27-year-old Cronenworth is slashing .275/.348/.479 with 17 long balls, 58 RBI, 77 runs and four steals in 492 plate appearances.