MLB Player News

Stone (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday.

Excluding the lone Cactus League appearance he made this spring, Stone will be pitching in a sanctioned game Thursday for the first time since Aug. 31, 2024. The 27-year-old righty underwent shoulder surgery in October of that year and missed the entire 2025 campaign, then experienced a setback this spring that prolonged his recovery. He's apparently been able to ramp up at the Dodgers' complex in Arizona over the past month without any major issues and will now kick off what will presumably be an extended rehab assignment. Given the Dodgers' ample starting depth, Stone could be preparing for a return to the big club as a multi-inning reliever.

Herz (elbow) will resume his rehab assignment Saturday at Single-A Fredericksburg, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.

Coming back from April 2025 Tommy John surgery, Herz had made three rehab starts in June before he encountered a setback and was diagnosed with a left flexor strain. The southpaw logged a 1.17 ERA, 0.52 WHIP and 11:0 K:BB in 7.2 innings on his rehab assignment before getting hurt, so he'll be looking to pick up where he left off as he returns to action in the minors for the first time in nearly two months. Herz might not be ready to rejoin the Nationals until September, as he still has a ways to go in terms of building up his pitch count.

Contreras is not in the lineup for Thursday's tilt against the Pirates.

Contreras had made six straight starts and homered in Wednesday's win over the Pirates, but he'll get some rest during Thursday's matinee. Gary Sanchez is doing the catching and batting seventh for the Brewers.

Bauers (abdomen) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Pirates.

It will be the third straight day out of the lineup for Bauers, who is dealing with abdominal soreness. He remains day-to-day for the time being, and it's unclear whether Bauers will be available off the bench Thursday. Andrew Vaughn will be at first base and Luis Lara will play right field for the Brewers on Thursday.

Betts went 4-for-5 with a run in a loss to the Cubs on Wednesday.

All four knocks were singles, but it was still a promising performance after Betts went 1-for-16 over his previous five games. The star shortstop is in the midst of a quiet season offensively, as his .685 OPS through 78 contests is easily on pace for a career-worst mark. It's worth noting that Betts was carrying a .657 OPS before collecting three hits on the same date (Aug. 5) last year, spurring a hot stretch that resulted in an .892 OPS across his final 47 contests, so there's at least a precedent for those hoping the 2018 AL MVP can turn things around before the end of the campaign.

Valdez is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Milwaukee.

Valdez has really been fighting it at the plate lately. He's 0-for-13 with 11 strikeouts so far in August, and over his last 15 contests is just 5-for-45 with 35.5 percent strikeout rate. He will get a day Thursday to regroup while Ronny Simon fills in in right field for the Pirates.

Muncy went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in a loss to the Cubs on Wednesday.

With Los Angeles down 7-1 in the eighth inning, Muncy began a Dodgers rally by slugging a three-run blast to right-center field. The team was able to close the gap to one run in the same frame but ultimately suffered its sixth straight loss. For Muncy, the long ball snapped a six-game stretch without an extra-base hit or an RBI. The veteran third baseman has posted a .218/.306/.527 slash line with five home runs, 12 RBI, eight runs and a stolen base over 16 games since the All-Star break.

Leonard went 1-for-3 with a double in Wednesday's 6-0 loss to the Rangers.

After making his big-league debut in Tuesday's loss to the Rangers, Leonard collected his first major-league hit Wednesday, a double to left field in the second inning. The versatile 25-year-old was called up from Triple-A Sacramento following a busy trade deadline for San Francisco; however, Victor Bericoto (oblique) began his rehab assignment Wednesday, so Leonard isn't guaranteed to remain with the parent club for an extended period.

Bericoto (oblique) went 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Triple-A Sacramento's 13-10 extra-innings loss to Round Rock on Wednesday.

Bericoto has been on the 10-day injured list since July 10 due to a left oblique strain, though he appears to be nearing a return to the majors after beginning a rehab assignment Thursday. The 24-year-old outfielder lined a double to center field in the first inning before coming around to score. He also collected an RBI on a groundout in the second. Before landing on the IL, Bericoto slashed .293/.305/.552 with nine RBI, seven runs scored, four long balls and a stolen base across 59 plate appearances with the Giants.

House went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's extra-innings win over the Phillies.

Jorbit Vivas got the start at third base Wednesday with right-hander Andrew Painter on the mound for Philly, but House came off the bench in the seventh inning to face southpaw Brooks Raley and launched a game-tying homer to the opposite field. House may be falling into a short-side platoon role, but Vivas isn't exactly doing much to earn a consistent spot in the lineup with a .519 OPS, zero home runs and zero steals since the beginning of July. House's own numbers suggest he's better suited for his current usage, however -- he sports a .355/.412/.597 slash line against lefties this season, but a .174/.220/.318 line against righties.