MLB Player News

The Mets released Ruf on Sunday.

Ruf becomes a free agent after he went unclaimed off waivers upon being designated for assignment last week. After slugging a career-high 16 home runs with the Giants in 2021, Ruf took a significant step back at the plate last season while serving largely as a short-side platoon option for San Francisco and then New York, who acquired him at the trade deadline. Ruf failed to show much improvement during spring training while he also nursed a wrist injury and was ultimately booted off the 40-man roster prior to Opening Day. As a 35-year-old coming off a poor season who is limited to first base and the corner outfield, Ruf might have to settle for a minor-league deal in free agency as he looks to keep his career going.

Manager Rob Thomson said during Sunday's ESPN broadcast that Harper (elbow) could resume hitting on the field as early as Thursday, John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Harper has spent the last few months recovering from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in November, but he's trended in the right direction over the last several weeks. If Harper feels good after hitting on the field, he'll eventually progress to live at-bats before potentially embarking on a minor-league rehab assignment. The 31-year-old still has some steps to clear before he's in the mix to make his season debut for the Phillies, but Thomson said Harper has been doing "really well" in his recovery.

Miller is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

With lefty Bailey Falter taking the hill for Philadelphia in the series finale, the lefty-hitting Miller will bow out of the starting nine. Mitch Garver will replace Miller as the Rangers' designated hitter.

Brantley (shoulder) left the Astros on Sunday to continue his rehab program at the team's spring facility in Florida, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The veteran slugger joined the club in Houston for Opening Day and took batting practice Friday, but he'll now return to Florida to continue his rehab work. Brantley will be eligible to be activated from the injured list later this week, and the Astros hope he'll be ready for game action sometime in mid-April.

Carpenter is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.

With a southpaw (Austin Gomber) on the bump for Colorado, the lefty-hitting Matt Carpenter will cede his spot in the starting nine to the righty-hitting Nelson Cruz. The two veterans are expected to form a platoon at designated hitter for the foreseeable future unless one separates himself from the other from a performance standpoint.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said prior to Sunday's game against the Rays that Cabrera will likely play only once during the team's upcoming series against Houston, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Cabrera ended up starting in all three games versus Tampa Bay, but Hinch notes that he's going to manage Cabrera's playing time on a "series-by-series" basis. He'll likely get Monday off against the Astros before returning Tuesday and then retreating to the bench for Wednesday's contest. The future Hall of Famer's lack of playing time on top of mediocre production makes him a player to avoid in nearly all fantasy formats.

Belt is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Belt batted sixth as Toronto's designated hitter in the first two games of the season, but he'll head to the bench Sunday with lefty Jordan Montgomery pitching for St. Louis. Alejandro Kirk will rest his legs as the designated hitter while Danny Jansen starts behind the plate.

Torrens is the designated hitter and batting eighth for Sunday's game against the Brewers, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Torrens has shown a propensity for hitting southpaws better than righties throughout his career, and he could see regular playing time against left-handed pitching if he gets off to a strong start to begin 2023. It's his first time in the starting lineup as a member of the Cubs.

Reyes is not in the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Twins.

Reyes served as the designated hitter in the first two games of the season and will take a seat Sunday after he went 0-for-6 with two walks and five strikeouts. MJ Melendez will shift to designated hitter for the series finale while Jackie Bradley receives the start in right field.

Alvarez is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the White Sox, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Alvarez gets a day of rest in the early part of the year after appearing in the first three contests of the series. Corey Julks will start in left field and hit seventh, while David Hensley is slotted as the designated hitter and will hit fifth against Mike Clevinger and the White Sox.