MLB Player News

The Mets promoted Clifford from Double-A Binghamton to Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday, Pat Ragazzo of SI.com reports.

Clifford will make the jump to Syracuse after slashing .243/.355/.493 with 24 home runs and four stolen bases over 437 plate appearances in 105 games with Binghamton. Along with Clifford, fellow top prospects Jett Williams, Carson Benge and Jonah Tong will move up to Syracuse during the upcoming week.

The Mets promoted Benge from Double-A Binghamton to Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday, Pat Ragazzo of SI.com reports.

Benge is one of four of the Mets' top prospects who will be making the move to Syracuse, as first baseman Ryan Clifford, infielder Jett Williams and right-hander Jonah Tong also received promotions from Binghamton. The 22-year-old Benge began the season at High-A Brooklyn and continued to mash for Binghamton upon moving up to the Double-A level in late June, slashing .317/.407/.571 with eight home runs and four stolen bases over 145 plate appearances.

The Marlins optioned Gusto to Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday.

Gusto was appointed from Triple-A to serve as the Marlins' 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader with Atlanta and drew the start in the first game of the twin bill. He made a strong impression in his Marlins debut, taking a loss but striking out eight and limiting Atlanta to three runs on four hits and two walks over six innings. Though Gusto will head back to Triple-A, he could be the Marlins' top choice for a call-up if a spot in the rotation opens up at any point in the next few weeks.

Marquez (biceps) threw a bullpen session Saturday and is scheduled to throw live batting practice Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Marquez has been throwing bullpen sessions for a week and is now prepared to take the next step in his recovery. He has been sidelined since July 21, meaning a rehab assignment is likely, but the team has yet to give a timeline for Marquez to return.

Atlanta optioned Stratton to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

Stratton was up with Atlanta for one day, serving as the big club's 27th man for Saturday's doubleheader with Miami. The reliever ended up going unused for both contests of the twin bill.

Triple-A Reno placed Tawa on its 7-day injured list Aug. 2 due to an unspecified injury.

After being demoted to Reno on July 5, Tawa went just 3-for-31 (.097 average) with 11 strikeouts in nine games before landing on the IL. The utility player is without a timeline to return to action for Reno, and his poor production prior to getting hurt suggests he won't be a high-priority call-up for Arizona when the roster expands in September.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Hernandez (elbow) is pain-free and could be ready to return from the 10-day injured list in early September, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Less than a week ago, Roberts expressed some uncertainty whether Hernandez would be ready to return from the IL before season's end, but the 33-year-old utility player has evidently made some significant strides in his recovery from left elbow inflammation in recent days. According to MLB.com, Roberts said that Hernandez has reached a point in his rehab that he's able to ramp up his involvement in baseball activities. Hernandez has already done some throwing, running and fielding grounders, but swinging the bat without discomfort will be the major hurdle that he'll need to clear before heading out on a rehab assignment.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Kim (shoulder) could be cleared to take live batting practice by the end of the week, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Kim has resumed taking part in most baseball activities since landing on the injured list July 29 due to left shoulder bursitis, but facing live pitching is the final hurdle he'll need to clear before heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment. The rookie infielder appears to be tracking toward a return from the IL at some point in late August and could be in line for regular playing time at the keystone if he's able to beat Tommy Edman (ankle) back from the shelf.

Yates (back) is scheduled to face hitters in live batting practice Wednesday in Anaheim, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that if all goes well in Yates' upcoming live session, the right-handed reliever could be cleared to head out on a rehab assignment. Yates has been on the shelf since Aug. 1 due to lower back pain and will likely need just one or two rehab appearances to get ramped back up before he's deemed ready to return from the 15-day injured list.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Kopech (knee) will face hitters in live batting practice Monday in Anaheim, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

After making it out of his recent string of bullpen sessions no worse for the wear, Kopech is ready to move on to the next phase of his rehab program as he bounces back from a right knee meniscectomy. The right-hander will likely need to face hitters at least once more after Monday before the Dodgers map out a rehab assignment for him. Kopech is eligible to return from the 60-day injured list in late August and could be ready to rejoin the Los Angeles bullpen by that time if he steers clear of any setbacks over the next couple of weeks.