MLB Player News

Beer was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Wednesday.

Beer was recalled by Arizona at the start of August but will return to the minors after going 4-for-30 in 11 games. Overall, the 25-year-old has a .189/.278/.243 slash line with one home run and nine RBI in 126 plate appearances in the majors this season.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that he's hoping Stanton (Achilles) heads out on a minor-league rehab assignment this weekend, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

Slowly but surely, Stanton has been ramping up his activities since he was cleared to start working out just over a week ago, but the Yankees have not yet formally etched out a timeline for him to report to the minors. Assuming Boone's prediction comes to pass and Stanton joins an affiliate this weekend, the 32-year-old would likely need at least a couple games to get comfortable at the plate and in the outfield before New York brings him back from the IL. A return at some point during the Yankees' two-game series with the Mets next Monday and Tuesday remains in play, but the four-game set in Oakland that begins Aug. 25 may be the more realistic target for Stanton.

McCutchen isn't starting Wednesday against the Dodgers.

McCutchen is getting a rare day off after he hit .222 with two doubles, five runs, two RBI, two walks and six strikeouts over the last seven games. Keston Hiura will serve as the designated hitter and bat fifth.

Ozuna remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.

Ozuna finds himself on the bench for the third game in a row, all of which have come against right-handed pitching. With Atlanta making more room of late at designated hitter for William Contreras and Eddie Rosario and in left field for Rosario and Robbie Grossman, the righty-hitting Ozuna looks like he might have to settle for a short-side platoon role, at best. Ozuna's declining playing time comes while he's slashed an ugly .184/.192/.329 with a 32.1 percent strikeout rate in 19 games since the All-Star break.

Harper (thumb) took a round of batting practice Wednesday and will do so again later this week before potentially beginning a minor-league rehab assignment next Tuesday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Interim manager Rob Thomson said that if Harper's surgically repaired left thumb checks out fine following the two rounds of BP, the reigning National League MVP will likely report to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to resume game action. Before landing on the IL on June 26, Harper had been serving exclusively as a designated hitter for Philadelphia since mid-April due to a torn ligament in his right elbow. Despite having ample time off to heal, Harper doesn't look on track to play the outfield again in 2022, as he had his throwing program tabled earlier this month when he experienced some stiffness in the elbow. The playoff-hopeful Phillies would still obviously welcome Harper back in an offense-only role, and though an official timeline for his return hasn't been established, club officials told Lauber that the 29-year-old is expected to be activated on or around Sept. 1 if he remains free of setbacks over the next couple of weeks.

Morel isn't starting Wednesday against the Nationals.

Morel started the last three games but went just 1-for-9 with a solo homer, a walk and six strikeouts. Rafael Ortega is starting in center field and batting sixth.

Ramirez went 1-for-4 Tuesday against the Yankees.

Ramirez was activated from the injured list prior to Tuesday's game after missing just over three weeks with a thumb injury. He hit third and served as the designated hitter, and he is likely to occupy a similar role consistently moving forward. Though Ramirez has only four home runs, he has 20 extra-base hits across 268 plate appearances for the season, good for a career-best .443 slugging percentage.

Blackmon went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI on Tuesday against the Cardinals.

Blackmon delivered nearly all of Colorado's offense Tuesday, first tallying an RBI single in the sixth inning. He drove in two additional runs on a double one frame later. Entering Tuesday's game, Blackmon had hit only .190 with two home runs, nine RBI and eight runs scored across 21 games since the All-Star break. In part due to that prolonged slump, Blackmon has only a 94 wRC+ across 459 plate appearances on the season.

Reyes went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Tuesday's extra-innings win over the Nationals.

Reyes made his Chicago debut a week ago, and he now has hits in six straight games to begin his tenure, with a double, a triple and two home runs. The 27-year-old has been productive at the MLB level before, including last year when he launched 30 home runs for Cleveland, so the Cubs may have found something. Reyes should at least continue seeing regular playing time as the team's DH down the stretch, and he's squarely on the fantasy radar if he's hitting like this.

Miller is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Athletics.

Though he'll be on the bench with southpaw JP Sears on the bump for Oakland, the lefty-hitting Miller may have recaptured a strong-side platoon role at designated hitter. He went 3-for-5 with a walk between the past two contests, while Ezequiel Duran and Josh Smith both picked up starts at third base. The hot-hitting Duran appears likely to serve as the Rangers' main option at the hot corner moving forward, while the slumping Smith could shift into more of a utility role.