MLB Player News

Ruf (hamstring) played catch, took ground balls and hit off a tee Wednesday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.

This is the first known baseball activity that Ruf has completed since being placed on the injured list on May 27. Though he is likely still a couple weeks away from a return, this progress is encouraging in that Ruf could remain on track to return towards the end of his original 3-to-4 week timeline. Ruf will continue his running program in the meantime.

Stanton is not expected to play in the outfield during the team's weekend series against Philadelphia, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The Yankees will travel to Philadelphia for a two-game set this weekend, so the club will be without the designated hitter. Though manager Aaron Boone noted that Stanton isn't likely to play in the outfield in this series, he didn't rule out the possibility when the Yankees face the Mets at Citi Field and travel to Miami and Atlanta later in the season.

Vogelbach went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double, a walk and another run scored during Thursday's win over the Reds.

Vogelbach extended Milwaukee's lead by taking Sean Doolittle deep in the seventh inning. He also tacked on a double in the ninth. The 28-year-old now has six homers and five doubles on the season, including three long balls in his last five starts. Despite a recent uptick in power, Vogelbach is batting just .221/.333/.397 overall, though he should continue seeing regular opportunities with Keston Hiura recently sent back to Triple-A

Brantley isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Red Sox, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brantley had started each of the last two games after being reinstated from the injured list Tuesday, and he went 4-for-9 with a double, two runs and an RBI during that time. Taylor Jones will start in left field and bat seventh.

Stanton went 3-for-5 with two home runs, a double and five RBI in Wednesday's 9-6 win over the Twins.

Stanton erupted for three extra-base hits, all off Randy Dobnak. Before his pair of homers Wednesday, Stanton went without a long ball in his previous 16 games. It was a much needed performance for the 31-year-old, as he was just 4-for-29 in his prior nine contests. He is slashing .267/.335/.509 with 11 home runs, 29 RBI and 18 runs in 182 plate appearances.

Turner went 3-for-5 with two solo home runs in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Pittsburgh.

The third baseman accounted for both of the Dodgers' runs, going yard off Pittsburgh starter Tyler Anderson in the first and third innings. Both homers came with two outs. Turner continues to be an effective hitter in the heart of the order with a .274/.366/.476 slash line, 11 homers, 32 RBI and 39 runs scored across 246 plate appearances this year.

Vogelbach went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Reds.

Vogelbach was hitless through his first four at-bats, but he delivered his fifth home run of the season in the ninth inning. It was his second long ball in his last four starts. Despite the recent power surge, Vogelbach is still hitting just .213/.324/.361 with 11 RBI and 16 runs across 148 plate appearances for the season.

Brantley went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-3 win over Boston.

In his second game back from a hamstring injury, Brantley put together a solid performance. He's now 4-for-9 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored in his last two games. For the season, the outfielder has slashed .313/.351/.460 with three home runs, 16 RBI, and 27 runs scored across 188 plate appearances. He served as the designated hitter Wednesday after playing in left field in his return Tuesday -- that may happen at times to keep the 34-year-old fresh.

Pederson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Padres.

Pederson took former Chicago starter Yu Darvish deep in the fourth inning, one of two long balls for the Cubs on the day. Pederson now has seven home runs this season to go with a .238 batting average and .726 OPS. As has been the case throughout his career, the outfielder doesn't help much with the average and can be a streaky performer, though he supplies decent pop when he's locked in.

Buxton (hip) will not play with Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday following a rain delay, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Concerns over wet field conditions convinced Buxton to delay his appearance until Thursday. This will also likely delay his activation by one day, as it's his desire for more rehab at-bats that is the primary reason for the delay in his removal from the injured list.