MLB Player News

Church is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's contest against the Pirates.

Church has drawn the lion's share of the playing time in center field for the Cardinals since Victor Scott (ankle) was hurt, but Church will step out of the lineup Tuesday. Lars Nootbaar will slide over to center field and Jordan Walker will get the start in right field.

Pages is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game versus the Pirates.

It's a regular day off for Pages, who had started at catcher in each of the Cardinals' previous two contests. Yohel Pozo will be behind the dish and bat ninth Tuesday.

Alvarez (thumb) will begin a rehab assignment Wednesday, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.

Alvarez took batting practice on the field Tuesday and insisted afterward that he feels no pain in his right thumb despite being diagnosed with a UCL sprain. He will be eligible for activation from the 10-day injured list Thursday, but the Mets could wait until rosters expand Sept. 1 to return their starting catcher to the active roster.

The Mets will call up Tong from Triple-A Syracuse to make his MLB debut with a start Friday against the Marlins at Citi Field, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed that the Mets will move to a six-man rotation to accommodate the arrival of Tong, who was established himself as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball this season. The 22-year-old righty has followed up his breakout 2024 season with an even better showing in 2025, accruing a 1.43 ERA and 0.92 WHIP to go with a minor-league-best 179 strikeouts in 113.2 innings covering 22 starts between Double-A Binghamton and Syracuse. Tong isn't necessarily guaranteed any starts beyond his debut, but he will get the chance to state his case to remain in the Mets rotation moving forward.

Chourio (hamstring) will play seven innings in the outfield during his rehab game with Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday and could rejoin the Brewers as soon as this weekend's three-game series in Toronto, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The 21-year-old was a bit tentative while running the bases during his rehab game Sunday, so Milwaukee has elected to continue the minor-league assignment for at least a few more days. If Chourio can further ramp up and play in a full game with no issues, he should have a chance to come off the injured list to face the Blue Jays.

The Pirates recalled Moreta from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.

The right-hander will rejoin the big-league bullpen after spending the 15-day minimum in the minors after being demoted Aug. 11. Moreta has made five appearances for Pittsburgh this year and has given up two earned runs with a 7:1 K:BB over 4.2 innings.

De La Cruz went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Monday's 7-0 loss to the Dodgers.

De La Cruz has started in all but one of the Reds' 132 games to date, but the rigors of the long season seem to be catching up with the 25-year-old. Though his .799 OPS on the season isn't far behind his 2024 mark of .810, De La Cruz is slashing just .217/.258/.293 with a 29.9 percent strikeout rate in August, and he's offered limited impact in the counting categories this month with zero home runs, two steals, 10 runs and five RBI across 22 contests. According to Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati, De La Cruz has been managing a quadriceps injury, which could explain his relative lack of activity as a baserunner in recent weeks. De La Cruz is expected to keep playing on an everyday basis as the Reds battle for a wild-card spot heading into September, and while he may continue to be selective with his steal attempts, fantasy managers should eventually expect some improvement with his production as a hitter. Even in a down month, De La Cruz is still striking the ball with authority; he's sporting a 41 percent hard-hit rate and has produced 16 batted-ball events exceeding 100 miles per hour thus far in August.

The Pirates optioned Simon to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.

Simon is clearing out to make room on the active roster for the return of Oneil Cruz (concussion). The 25-year-old Simon slashed .233/.250/.267 in seven contests with Pittsburgh.

Lile (illness) remains out of the lineup for Tuesday's game versus the Yankees.

It's the second straight start he's missed due to illness. Lile could play Wednesday, but with the Yankees starting lefty Max Fried that day and an off day looming Thursday, the left-handed-hitting Lile might be held back until the weekend. James Wood, Jared Young and Robert Hassell will patrol the outfield for the Nationals on Tuesday.

The Pirates reinstated Cruz (concussion) from the 7-day injured list Tuesday.

The 26-year-old has been sidelined by the concussion for the past couple weeks but is back with the Pirates after a two-game rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona. Cruz will reclaim the starting job in center field and will look to get on track at the plate after batting .122 (5-for-41) in his first 11 games of August.