MLB Player News

Vaughn (undisclosed) was seen taking batting practice prior to Friday's game against the Tigers, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Vaughn is currently on the COVID-19 injured list, but manager Tony La Russa said earlier Friday that the rookie could return as soon as Saturday. Given his participation in Friday's batting practice, a Saturday return now appears even more likely.

Flores (hamstring) isn't starting Friday against the Cubs, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Flores left Thursday's win over the Cubs due to hamstring tightness, but he'll be available off the bench Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. LaMonte Wade will start at first base and lead off.

Cabrera (hamstring) was activated from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Cabrera was expected to face a four-week absence when he landed on the injured list in mid-May, but he beat that timeline for his return. He hit quite well before suffering a hamstring injury, posting a .289/.393/.474 slash line. Cabrera isn't in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Brewers, but he should feature regularly moving forward. Seth Frankoff (forearm) landed on the injured list in a corresponding move.

Hiura is not in the starting lineup Friday against Arizona.

Despite Kolten Wong (oblique) landing on the 10-day injured list earlier Friday, Hiura will remain out of the lineup against right-hander Matt Peacock. Luis Urias will play second base and bat leadoff.

Dalbec is out of the lineup Friday against the Yankees, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Dalbec is 2-for-23 with 15 strikeouts over his past eight games and will head to the bench Friday. Marwin Gonzalez will start at first base in the series opener at New York.

Manager Tony La Russa said Friday that Vaughn could be activated from the COVID-19 injured list as soon as Saturday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Vaughn was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Thursday, but general manager Rick Hahn noted that he thought it could be a short stay on the IL for the rookie slugger. Nothing is official at this point, but based on La Russa's comments, Vaughn has a solid chance of being activated by the end of the weekend series against the Tigers.

Flores was removed from Thursday's win over the Cubs due to tightness in his hamstring, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

The 29-year-old went 1-for-2 with a triple, a walk and two runs before being replaced by Mauricio Dubon at the start of the sixth inning. Manager Gabe Kapler indicated the injury isn't as severe as the hamstring issue that landed Flores on the injured list in May, though it remains concerning he's dealing with another injury less than a week after being activated.

Alonso is not in the lineup Thursday at San Diego.

The 26-year-old returned from the injured list Monday after missing less than two weeks with a hand sprain, but he'll take a seat Thursday after going 5-for-13 with a homer, five RBI and three runs in his first three games back. Dominic Smith will move to first base in Alonso's place, while Kevin Pillar starts in left field.

Goldschmidt isn't starting Thursday's game against the Reds, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Goldschmidt had gone 2-for-6 across the last two games, and he hit his first home run since May 11 during Wednesday's loss. Matt Carpenter will take over at first base and bat sixth.

Gurriel went 3-for-4 with a solo home run during Thursday's loss to the Red Sox.

With the Astros trailing 5-0 in the bottom of the ninth, Gurriel took Brandon Workman deep to get Houston on the board. After becoming the only Astro to not strike out against the Red Sox on Wednesday, the 36-year-old was the only Astro to score a run versus Boston on Thursday. Overall this season, Gurriel has put together a strong slash line of .310/.380/.519 with eight home runs and leads the Astros in hits (58), RBI (40) and batting average (.310).