MLB Player News

Arizona optioned Fernandez to Triple-A Reno on Monday.

After two weeks with the big-league club, the Diamondbacks are sending Fernandez back to Triple-A. Over his last seven games in the majors, the 22-year-old slashed .267/.389/.267 over 18 plate appearances. Arizona needed to clear a roster spot for Ketel Marte (knee) in his return from the 10-day injured list.

Jung (calf) has been cleared for full baseball activities and could begin a rehab assignment as soon as this weekend, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Jung did some running Monday and said afterward that it went well, though it seems he's still not quite 100 percent with his running at this point. He will continue to ramp things up this week, with the goal of playing in rehab games by the weekend if all goes well. Jung has been sidelined for more than a month with a left calf strain.

Vivas will start at second base and bat sixth in Monday's game against the Marlins.

Vivas will remain in the lineup for a fifth game in a row after going 4-for-11 with two doubles, four walks, one stolen base and one RBI over the prior four contests. Four of those starts have come at second base, but assuming CJ Abrams quickly moves past the back issue that resulted in him being scratched from the lineup Monday, Vivas could end up pushing Brady House for playing time at the hot corner during the final month of the season.

Baty is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rays.

Baty will take a seat for the second day in a row, after he had started in each of the Mets' prior four contests. With the Orioles picking up Luis Robert via a waiver claim Monday and with Juan Soto likely to be limited to the designated-hitter spot following his recent return from the injured list, Baty could end up getting fairly steady playing time versus right-handed pitching in a corner-outfield spot.

Encarnacion-Strand is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rockies.

Encarnacion-Strand will cede his spot in the starting nine to Blaze Alexander, who will handle the hot corner and bat seventh. While starting in each of the last eight games, Encarnacion-Strand went 10-for-32 (.313 average) with one home run, three doubles, two walks, six RBI and five runs.

Whitcomb is out of the lineup for Monday's game in Atlanta, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Whitcomb will hit the bench for the first time since being recalled from Triple-A Sacramento a week ago. He made starts against four right-handers and three lefties over the Giants' last seven games, slashing a poor .077/.077/.231 with a 0:10 BB:K during that span. Osleivis Basabe will get the nod Monday at third base, and he could emerge as more of a factor at that position if Whitcomb is unable to get going at the plate in his future starts.

Mead (wrist) played catch on the field at Fenway Park on Monday, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Mead ditched his cast last week after follow-up imagining on his fractured left wrist came back negative. He had been performing strength and mobility exercises and has now progressed to light on-field baseball activities. Mead could be ready to return to Boston's active roster around mid-September if all goes well, but he still has lots of rehab boxes to check before making that a reality.

Ramirez went 2-for-3 with a home run, four RBI, a walk and an additional run scored in Sunday's 11-1 win over the Royals.

The star third baseman shined Sunday, tallying his second-most RBI of the season. Ramirez is having a down year by his lofty standards, but he's now collected nine RBI in his past five outings as he looks to heat up. Through 447 plate appearances, he's slashing .243/.339/.393 with 11 homers, 48 RBI, 31 stolen bases and 61 runs scored.

Mayo went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Sunday's 8-5 win over the Athletics.

Mayo's lone hit was a long one, as he crushed a three-run homer off Jeffrey Springs in the fourth inning. The corner infielder has put together a solid August, slashing .269/.321/.551 with five homers, 15 RBI, 14 runs and a stolen base across 24 games. Overall, he's hitting .218/.282/.447 with 19 homers, 55 RBI, 52 runs and three stolen bases in 109 contests.

Gonzales is absent from Pittsburgh's lineup against St. Louis on Sunday.

Despite reaching base three times Saturday against the Cardinals, the Pirates are moving Gonzales to the bench for Sunday's series finale. Nick Yorke will take over at the hot corner and bat ninth.