MLB Player News

Schuemann will start in left field and bat seventh in Thursday's game against the Rays.

The 29-year-old has been up with the Yankees since April 28 following his call-up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but it wasn't until May 7 that he made his first start. Though Schuemann continued to see scarce opportunities over his first two months with the big club, he's finally begun gaining some traction in the outfield in July while the Yankees navigate the absences of Aaron Judge (rib) and Giancarlo Stanton (calf). Schuemann will stick in the starting nine for the fifth time in six games after going 3-for-9 with a home run and two walks through his first four contests of the month.

Volpe is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays.

Volpe has mostly been handling a near-everyday role since being called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on May 12, but his playing time has tailed off lately while he's fallen into a 5-for-35 skid at the plate over his last 12 games. The Yankees will keep Volpe on the bench for the third time in four contests, with two of those absences coming against righties and one coming against a lefty. Even though New York still has a couple openings in the lineup while Aaron Judge (rib) and Giancarlo Stanton (calf) are stuck on the injured list, Jose Caballero, Jasson Dominguez and Max Schuemann all appear to be getting prioritized ahead of Volpe.

Natera (1-0) earned the win over Texas on Wednesday, striking out five batters over two perfect innings in relief.

The Angels built an early lead, and starter Walbert Urena held the Rangers scoreless through four frames. However, Urena also struggled with his control and needed 90 pitches to get through those four innings, so he wasn't able to go deep enough to qualify for the win. Natera entered in the fifth and dominated across two frames, throwing 19 of 24 pitches for strikes and fanning five of the six batters he faced. That earned the lefty his first big-league win in his 11th appearance. Natera was blown up for four runs over two-thirds of an inning July 4 versus Boston, but he's otherwise been lights-out. In his other 10 outings, he's given up just one run on three hits across 12.2 frames while recording an impressive 20:6 K:BB. Natera has logged one save and one hold and could be working his way up to more high-leverage situations given how effectively he's pitched.

Banda underwent surgery to repair his left lat strain and will miss the remainder of the 2026 season, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Banda last pitched June 28 and was placed on the 15-day injured list 11 days ago. He expects to be ready for the start of spring training in February. The lefty reliever appeared in 39 games out of the bullpen for Minnesota this season and registered a 4.46 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 33:15 K:BB across 34.1 innings.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman said Thursday that Stanton (calf) has resumed running after receiving a PRP injection, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The 36-year-old has been sidelined since late April due to recurring calf issues. He initially suffered a strained right calf before suffering a new strain in the same calf while rehabbing last month. It's unclear what kind of timeline Stanton is looking at for his potential return to the lineup. He slashed .256/.302/.422 with three home runs, 14 RBI, eight runs scored, one stolen base and a 6:29 BB:K across 96 trips to the plate before going down with the injuries.

Javier allowed a hit and two walks in a scoreless inning in Wednesday's 8-2 loss to the Nationals.

Javier was called upon for mop-up duty in the eighth inning Wednesday, as he continues to work his way back from a shoulder strain. The right-hander allowed a single and a walk to the first two batters he faced, though he'd ultimately make it through the inning unscathed. It's the first scoreless appearance of the season for Javier, who surrendered 13 runs across 9.1 innings prior to his IL stint, before giving up a run on two hits over two innings in relief against Tampa Bay in his return Sunday.

Matthews (foot) is slated to start Friday's game against the Angels at Target Field.

Matthews was forced out of his previous start last Saturday against the Yankees due to a right foot laceration, but he was apparently able to make it though his bullpen session earlier this week without incident and won't have to miss a turn through the rotation. Since tying a season high by allowing seven earned runs in a June 11 outing versus the Tigers, Matthews has enjoyed a strong run of form over his subsequent four starts, posting a 3.28 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 21:7 K:BB in 24.2 innings.

Manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Lombard (finger) has resumed hitting and fielding and is close to a return, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The Yankees' top prospect, Lombard remains on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre but is seemingly closing in on a return. In 42 games at Triple-A this season, Lombard has slashed .231/.381/.385 with four home runs, 15 RBI, 30 runs scored, eight stolen bases and a 35:42 BB:K across 197 plate appearances. He'll be a candidate to make his major-league debut at some point this summer.

The Guardians placed Herrin on the 15-day injured list Thursday due to a left elbow contusion.

Herrin was lifted from his most recent relief appearance in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Twins after being hit in the left elbow by a comebacker. X-rays came back negative, but Herrin's injury was deemed serious enough to keep him on the shelf through June 23. Herrin has appeared in 41 games out of the bullpen this season, logging a 3.06 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 27:19 K:BB across 32.1 innings.

The Guardians recalled Heuer from Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.

The right-hander has appeared in seven games out of the Cleveland bullpen this season and has posted a 5.63 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and 6:5 K:BB across eight innings. He'll work in middle relief.