MLB Player News

Walker (knee) will start in right field and bat second in Friday's game versus the Rockies.

Walker missed the last two games and got an additional day of rest Thursday when the Cardinals were idle, which was enough to get him over the hump with his right knee inflammation. The 24-year-old has tallied three straight multi-hit games, but he's still looking for his first home run of the second half.

Rodriguez is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Mets.

Rodriguez had made five consecutive starts (three at catcher, one at first base, one at designated hitter), but he'll begin Friday's series opener on the bench. Rafael Flores is behind the plate for the Pirates.

Ruiz is not in the lineup for Friday's game versus the Reds.

It looks to be a routine day of rest for Ruiz, who had started five of the past six games behind the plate. Harry Ford will do the catching for the Nationals in Friday's series opener.

Vivas is not in the lineup for Friday's contest versus the Reds.

The lefty-swinging Vivas started at third base each of the last three times the Nationals faced a right-hander, but he'll begin this one on the bench as righty Chase Petty starts a bullpen game for Cincinnati. Brady House will be at the hot corner and bat third.

George underwent knee surgery Friday and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

George initially injured his knee in late May when he jumped out of the way to avoid a bat dog who had run onto the field to retrieve a bat. George ended up returning sooner than expected and played well following the injury, posting an .817 OPS with 10 stolen bases (in 13 attempts) over 17 games from June 24 to July 30. However, it appears the knee issue never fully went away, and George ultimately needed to get a scope procedure to ensure proper healing. He played in 55 games for Double-A Tulsa this season, slashing .332/.418/.399 with no homers, 20 RBI, 63 runs and 33 stolen bases (in 38 tries). According to Harris, George is expected to be 100 percent by spring training next year.

Karros is not in the lineup for Friday's game in St. Louis.

Karros started the final three games of the Rockies' homestand, but he'll take a seat Friday as his team begins a road trip. Willi Castro will handle third base and Edouard Julien will be deployed at second base.

The Padres have decided to put Pivetta's (forearm) rehab progression on pause "for a couple extra days" after he was removed from his appearance with Single-A Lake Elsinore on Tuesday midway through the first inning, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Pivetta tossed just 14 pitches during the rehab appearance, his first game action since he was placed on the injured list April 14 due to a right flexor strain. The veteran hurler reportedly felt "tightness" in his elbow Tuesday, prompting his early exit, though Pivetta did throw 20-to-30 additional pitches in the bullpen following his departure. The Padres have expressed optimism that Pivetta isn't dealing with a major setback, but he didn't throw his scheduled bullpen session Thursday and won't make his next scheduled rehab appearance. Manager Craig Stammen suggested Thursday that Pivetta may not be shut down for long, noting that the right-hander will be reassessed later in the week before potentially being cleared to start throwing again.

The Mets claimed Arias off waivers from the Guardians on Friday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Arias was removed from the Guardians' 40-man roster earlier this week after collecting a .244/.284/.386 slash line with five homers and a 42.5 percent strikeout rate in 134 plate appearances this season. The 26-year-old does not have minor-league options remaining, so he will join the Mets' active roster. New York will have to make a corresponding transaction when Arias reports to the club.

Brubaker will get the start in Friday's bullpen game against the Tigers, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The former starter has been used exclusively in relief this season by the Giants, though he has logged three-plus innings in five of his 34 appearances. Brubaker will be pitching on two days' rest after yielding one run in one inning of work in Tuesday's loss to the Rangers, so his pitch count is likely to be very limited.

Cruz (hand) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Cruz has finally been cleared to test things out in a game setting after missing two months with a fractured left hand. The center fielder would ideally be given a handful of rehab contests to knock the rust off, but the Pirates might not have the luxury of taking things slowly as they fight for a playoff spot. Cruz slashed .264/.350/.472 with 14 home runs and 21 stolen bases in 64 games for Pittsburgh before getting hurt.