MLB Player News

The White Sox optioned Mercedes to their alternate training site Monday.

The White Sox already have three other healthy catchers on the 30-man active roster, so Mercedes was never destined to stick around long in Chicago after receiving a callup Saturday. The 27-year-old backstop is unlikely to see extensive action with the big club in 2020 unless both Yasmani Grandal and James McCann are simultaneously sidelined.

Vogelbach went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in a loss to the Athletics on Sunday.

Vogelbach's first-inning single plated Dylan Moore to break a scoreless tie and gave the slugger his first RBI of the season. The 27-year-old operated out of the cleanup spot Sunday for the first time in 2020, even as he continues to be in a significant slump. Vogelbach is slashing just .118/.211/.118 across his first 19 plate appearances, with a drop in hard-contact rate from last season's 38.3 percent to 30.8 percent likely having a role to play in his struggles.

Colon went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI, a run scored and a stolen base in a win over the Tigers in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader.

Colon gave the Reds some extra cushion with his two-run single in the seventh inning. Prior to Sunday, the 31-year-old had gone hitless in three at-bats this season. At the moment, there's no room for him to get regular playing time in the Cincinnati lineup.

Brantley went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and a run scored in Sunday's win over the Angels.

While many of the big-name Astros hitters have struggled out of the gate, Brantley is absolutely raking. Through nine games, the 33-year-old outfielder is slashing .438/.514/.656 with five extra-base hits and eight runs scored.

Ohtani experienced arm discomfort after Sunday's start and underwent an MRI, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Ohtani had another rough start Sunday against the Astros, allowing two runs on no hits and five walks while striking out three over 1.2 innings. He didn't factor into the decision in the team's loss in extra innings. The results of his MRI aren't yet known, and it's unclear whether he'll be forced to miss any time as a result.

Lewis went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Athletics.

Lewis went deep in the eighth inning off Athletics reliever Yusmeiro Petit, cutting the deficit to one run. The homer was Lewis' third of the year. The outfielder has hit safely in all 10 games so far, slashing .425/.477/.650 with nine RBI and seven runs scored. He's also struck out in 17 of his 40 at-bat. Lewis can be boom-or-bust, but he's been mostly boom so far.

Canha went 1-for-2 with a stolen base, a double, a walk and a hit-by-pitch in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Mariners.

Canha's steal came in the sixth inning after he was plunked by Mariners reliever Anthony Misiewicz, but he got greedy and was thrown out at third. Canha's not known for his speed -- he has just 14 stolen bases in his career after Sunday's performance. The 31-year-old is batting .292 with a homer, five RBI and three runs scored through eight games.

General manager Brodie Van Wagenen announced Sunday that Cespedes is opting out of the 2020 season for concerns related to COVID-19, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The 34-year-old never showed up to the ballpark for Sunday's game in Atlanta, and he apparently didn't inform the Mets that he was planning to opt out until the game was already underway, according to Tim Healey of Newsday. Cespedes is set to finish the season having appeared in eight games and going 5-for-31 with two home runs and four RBI. The veteran slugger is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2020 season. Dominic Smith seems the likely candidate to take over as the Mets' primary designated hitter.

Cespedes didn't report to the ballpark for Sunday's game against the Braves and the team has been unable to contact him, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Cespedes was absent from Sunday's lineup for what appeared to be a standard day of rest, but there's apparently much more to the situation. The Mets have indicated he's safe but haven't provided specifics on the circumstances surrounding his absence, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

Cespedes didn't report to the ballpark for Sunday's game against the Braves and the team has been unable to contact him, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Cespedes was absent from Sunday's lineup for what appeared to be a standard day of rest, but there's apparently much more to the situation. Hopefully the 34-year-old is physically and mentally okay, and more information should be available as the situation continues to unfold.