MLB Player News

Rockies manager Bud Black said Monday that he expects Bryant (back) to return when first eligible April 23, Andres Soto of MLB.com reports.

Bryant was diagnosed with lumbar degenerative disc disease, the latest in a series of back problems for the 33-year-old. Black indicated when Bryant was placed on the 10-day injured list earlier this week that it's an injury the designated hitter is just going to have to manage moving forward. Bryant has just a .400 OPS and 31.7 percent strikeout rate in 11 games with the Rockies this season.

Alvarez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest in St. Louis.

Alvarez homered in Tuesday's victory over the Cardinals but will get some rest for Wednesday's matinee. Jose Altuve is in the designated hitter spot for the series finale, while Chas McCormick will play left field.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Yoshida (shoulder) is not close to a rebab assignment, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Yoshida continues to rehab in Fort Myers and is working on a throwing program. He's not going to be ready for duty in the majors until he's able to make throws from the outfield.

Santander went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in Tuesday's win over Atlanta.

Santander broke the game open with a three-run blast off Spencer Schwellenbach in the fifth inning to put Toronto up 6-1. It was Santander's second long ball of the season and his first at home as a member of the Blue Jays. Though his average currently sits at just .211, Santander now has a hit in six straight games, including homers in two of his last four, and has struck out once over his last 17 at-bats.

Rooker went 2-for-4 with three runs scored in Tuesday's victory over the White Sox. He started in left field. It was the second game he's played in the outfield this season.

Rooker is off to a slow start to the season by hitting .205/.256/.667 but does have four home runs, so he may be heating up at the plate. Rooker didn't play in the outfield last season after May due to a right forearm injury that required surgery in the offseason. He's mostly played DH this season but could soon qualify in the outfield again after playing just 14 games in the field last season. However, Rooker's usage in the outfield could be bigger news for Nick Kurtz, the top prospect tearing it up at Triple-A, as moving Rooker to the outfield could allow the A's to call up Kurtz to play at DH and 1B.

Alvarez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Tuesday against the Cardinals.

Alvarez crushed a 419-foot blast to deep center field in the eighth inning, tacking on an insurance run to give the Astros a 2-0 lead. While Alvarez got off to a dreadful start to the year, he's certainly beginning to pick up some steam lately. Over his last nine outings, the All-Star slugger is hitting .310 (9-for-29) with two homers, six RBI, seven walks and one stolen base.

Flores went 0-for-3 with an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base during Tuesday's 6-4 loss to the Phillies.

Flores stole his first base since May 10, 2021, before coming around to score his third run over the club's last four games in the fourth frame. The 33-year-old also logged his 21st RBI of the season on a groundout in the sixth inning. He now ranks first in the majors in RBI ahead of Pete Alonso (20) and Aaron Judge (20). Flores is slashing .242/.277/.532 with six homers and a 2:11 BB:K across 65 plate appearances.

Suzuki (wrist) isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game versus San Diego.

Tuesday marks the third consecutive game that Suzuki will miss after leaving Saturday's contest early with a wrist issue. Manager Craig Counsell said immediately after Suzuki got hurt that the 30-year-old can be considered day-to-day, though the Cubs may consider placing him on the injured list if he doesn't return to the lineup soon. Justin Turner will serve as Chicago's designated hitter in Suzuki's place Tuesday.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Angels.

Pederson is hitless in his past 24 at-bats and has gone 3-for-49 through 14 games this season. Jonah Heim will serve as the designated hitter against Halos lefty Yusei Kikuchi while Kyle Higashioka starts behind the plate.

Winker is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Twins.

The veteran slugger returned to the lineup Monday after sitting out a few days due to flu-like symptoms, but he's back on the bench Tuesday despite the fact Minnesota is sending a righty (Bailey Ober) to the mound. Winker isn't reported to be dealing with any further issues, and he could just be getting some extra rest after recovering from the ailment. Starling Marte is receiving another turn at designated hitter in his place.