MLB Player News

Smith is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Marlins.

Smith will get the evening off after he went 0-for-13 with five strikeouts while starting in all three of the Astros' games against the Orioles over the weekend. Taylor Trammell will fill in for Smith in right field and will bat seventh.

Allen is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Marlins.

Though he received the start at shortstop in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Orioles, Allen will be back on the bench for the series opener against the Marlins while Jeremy Pena (hamstring) checks back into the starting nine. Allen had a brief run as the Astros' primary shortstop when he returned from the injured list June 29, but Pena has taken back control of the position since being reinstated July 10 following an IL stint of his own.

Walker (hip) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Marlins.

Walker will take a seat for the second day in a row after he was removed from Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Orioles due to right hip tightness. LaMonte Wade will pick up the start at first base Monday in place of Walker, whom the Astros are viewing as day-to-day after he was able to take part in baseball activities Sunday.

Vierling is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cubs.

After a stretch of four consecutive starts, Vierling finds himself on the bench for a second day in a row. The right-handed-hitting outfielder should still have a path to making regular starts versus lefties, but his opportunities to play against righties could become more limited now that Detroit has one fewer lineup spot available after Gleyber Torres (oblique) was reinstated from the injured list Monday.

Loftin is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Giants.

Loftin will move to the bench for the series opener after he went 1-for-12 at the dish while starting in all three of the Royals' games versus the Padres over the weekend. Josh Rojas will fill in for Loftin at third base and will bat eighth.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that Baez (ankle) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Lakeland on Tuesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Baez has been on the shelf since late April due to a right ankle sprain, and though he's taken longer than anticipated to heal up from the injury, he's now reached the final stage of his lengthy recovery process. Prior to being deactivated, Baez produced a .677 OPS across 82 plate appearances with Detroit. He's likely to see reps at both shortstop and center field during his rehab assignment before coming off the 60-day injured list.

Story (sports hernia) told reporters Monday that "sometime in August is in play" for him to embark on a rehab assignment, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

Story underwent surgery for a sports hernia in late May and has been on the 60-day injured list since early June. He's been cleared to take part in full baseball activities, and the good news for the veteran shortstop is that he is getting closer to on-field action in minor-league games. Story would likely need a rather lengthy rehab stint, given the amount of time he's been sidelined for, but it looks like he could be back with the Red Sox by mid-to-late August.

Kiner-Falefa (forearm) has been cleared to start his hitting progression with dry swings, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

Healy relays that Kiner-Falefa is still "weeks away" from returning from the 10-day injured list, but the good news for the veteran infielder is that he has been given the green light to take the next step in his recovery program. He has not played since June 18 while recovering from a stress reaction in his left forearm.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Monday that Stanton (calf) has "no timeline" to start a minor-league rehab assignment, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Stanton has been sidelined by a right calf strain since April 24. He resumed running right before the All-Star break after receiving a PRP injection, but the veteran slugger has not progressed enough in his recovery to embark on a rehab assignment. The Yankees should have a better sense of Stanton's return timeline once he's cleared to play in minor-league games.

Vazquez will travel to join the Orioles' taxi squad for their weekday series against the Red Sox, Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com reports.

Vazquez will give the Orioles a little bit of extra infield depth in Boston. He's spent most of this season with Triple-A Norfolk, where he has a .576 OPS with four steals, two homers and nine RBI across 115 plate appearances. Vazquez appeared in 36 regular-season games for the Orioles last year and slashed .160/.208/.240 with two steals, one homer and three RBI over 53 plate appearances.