MLB Player News

Willits went 4-for-6 with a double, a home run, a second run scored, three RBI and two stolen bases for Double-A Harrisburg on Saturday.

Per Brendan Samson of MLB.com, Willits became the youngest player to collect a hit this season at Double-A when he singled Thursday, and his long ball Saturday made him only the eighth 18-year-old over the last two decades to homer at the level -- a list that includes Bryce Harper and Fernando Tatis, as well as current top prospects Jesus Made of the Brewers, Leo De Vries (shoulder) of the A's and Sebastian Walcott of the Rangers. Willits sports a .265/.406/.463 slash line in 114 games across three levels of the minors this season with 14 home runs and 62 steals, and while the Nationals won't rush him, his elite package of skills, athleticism and baseball IQ could land him in the majors sometime next summer.

The Phillies designated Cairo for assignment Sunday.

A spot on the 40-man roster was needed for the return of Tanner Banks from the 60-day injured list. Cairo was added to the Phillies' 40-man roster just before Opening Day but has yet to make his major-league debut. The 25-year-old infielder has slashed .227/.378/.298 with four home runs, 25 stolen bases and a 90:76 BB:K over 128 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season.

Story went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Royals.

Story allowed the Red Sox to breathe easier with a two-run double in the eighth inning to increase the lead to 4-1. He's hit safely in 12 of 13 games since coming off the injured list, going 18-for-53 (.340) with seven doubles, six RBI and five runs scored.

Koss went 2-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and two steals in Sunday's 6-4 loss against San Diego.

Koss collected a pair of singles, swiping second and third base after his knock to lead off the fifth inning. The 28-year-old has seen regular playing time at shortstop with Willy Adames (elbow) sidelined and has taken advantage of the opportunity, slashing .359/.419/.590 with three homers, six RBI, 13 runs and three stolen bases over his past 12 games. His season-long numbers are much more pedestrian, as Koss is hitting .235/.283/.340 with four homers, 10 RBI, 25 runs and five stolen bases in 59 total contests.

Seager went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run, an additional RBI and an additional run scored in Sunday's 7-6 win over the Diamondbacks.

Seager tallied a trio of hits, kicking things off with a two-run blast in the first inning. The veteran shortstop has been on a power surge in September, crushing five homers through 12 contests this month. On the year, Seager is slashing .231/.323/.437 with 18 homers, 43 RBI, 54 runs and a stolen base in 90 games.

Manager Joe Espada said Sunday that he hopes Correa (ankle) will play "a game or two" with Triple-A Sugar Land this week, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

It will be the final week of the Triple-A regular season, so the Astros are hoping to get Correa into some minor-league action just ahead of the finish line. The veteran infielder has been sidelined since early May due to ankle surgery and said at the start of September that he had been sprinting at 95 percent effort, and it appears he's continued to progress in his rehab program. Rejoining the AL West-leading Astros during the final week of the regular season next week appears plausible for Correa.

Ortiz went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Reds.

Ortiz opened the scoring with a two-run blast off Chase Burns in the second inning. The performance continued an excellent second half for the 28-year-old, who's hitting .331 with six home runs, 22 RBI, 20 runs scored and four steals over 42 games since the All-Star break. On the season, he's slashing .264/.324/.401 with nine homers, 44 RBI, 44 runs scored and nine stolen bases across 378 plate appearances.

Neto went 1-for-4 with a walk, a solo homer and an additional run scored during the Angels' 6-5 loss to the Nationals on Sunday.

It was a scoreless affair through three innings, but Neto put the Angels on the board with a solo homer off Jake Irvin in the fourth frame. It was Neto's third long ball in his last five games and his 26th homer of the season, tying his career high that he set last year. He has a .760 OPS with 20 steals and 73 RBI across 644 plate appearances this season.

Culpepper (shoulder) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians, Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.

The 23-year-old Culpepper exited Saturday's contest after being hit in the shoulder by a 95 mph pitch and will miss at least one start due to the injury. Ryan Kreidler will fill in at shortstop Sunday for the Twins.

Lombard is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.

Lombard will take a seat Sunday after starting the previous eight games and going 3-for-27 (.111 average) with one double, one homer and five RBI during that span. Jose Caballero is starting at shortstop and batting ninth in the finale of the Subway Series.