MLB Player News

The Nationals designated Hassell for assignment Sunday.

Part of the six-player haul the Nationals received in the August 2022 trade that sent Juan Soto to San Diego, Hassell had seen his development stall out over the past couple of seasons. The 24-year-old outfielder reached the big leagues for the first time in 2025 and produced a lowly .572 OPS in 70 games, and he hadn't shown much sign of improvement while spending the entire campaign to date at Triple-A Rochester. Over 258 plate appearances at Triple-A, Hassell struck out at a 25.2 clip and slashed .216/.307/.291 with two home runs and eight steals. Washington will move Hassell off the 40-man roster to clear a spot for right-hander Eddy Yean, whose contract was selected from Triple-A.

The Phillies signed De La Cruz to a major-league contract Sunday and optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The veteran outfielder recently exercised the opt-out in his minor-league contract with the Phillies, but he's now back in the organization as a member of the 40-man roster. De La Cruz has a .254/.344/.429 slash line with 12 homers in 75 games for Lehigh Valley this year and could soon get a look in the big leagues, with Gabriel Rincones struggling to a .553 OPS in his first taste of the majors.

Lowe is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Lowe will head to the bench for the second time in the series, this time exiting the lineup against a right-handed starter (Kyle Bradish) after his previous absence Friday came versus a lefty (Trevor Rogers). Spencer Steer will step in for Lowe at first base and will bat fifth.

The Mets optioned Gerber to Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday.

The right-hander was called up by New York on Monday and appeared in four games during his brief time in the majors. Gerber started off with three scoreless appearances before surrendering three runs over two-thirds of an inning Saturday in Atlanta. Guillo Zuniga was added to the MLB roster Sunday in a corresponding move.

Alvarez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game in Atlanta, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The Mets will give Alvarez the afternoon off while Luis Torrens starts behind the plate and Juan Soto serves as the designated hitter. Alvarez had started the last seven games, going 5-for-27 (.185) with a solo home run and a 0:11 BB:K.

The Mets selected Zuniga's contract from Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday.

Zuniga joined the Mets on a minor-league deal in May and will get the chance to make his first big-league appearance since 2024. The right-hander split his time between the Double-A and Triple-A levels this year and has a combined 3.29 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 18:12 K:BB over 13.2 innings.

Torrens will start at catcher and bat eighth in Sunday's game against Atlanta, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Torrens will fill in behind the plate while Francisco Alvarez rests for the day game. Since MJ Melendez was demoted to Triple-A Syracuse on June 26, the Mets have been giving Alvarez more days off from catching while keeping him in the lineup at designated hitter, which has allowed Torrens to play more frequently than most No. 2 backstops. Torrens has drawn five starts in the Mets' last nine contests.

Young is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The Mets will leave the left-handed hitter out of the lineup for the second straight day while Atlanta sends lefty Martin Perez to the bump. Mark Vientos will fill in for Young at first base and bat cleanup.

Lowe went 1-for-5 with two RBI on Saturday against the Nationals.

Lowe made his lone hit of the day count, knocking in two in the second frame with a single. He's hit only .220 while striking out at a 29.0 percent clip over the last month, though he's still managed to record 20 RBI, 15 runs scored and five home runs across 27 games in that span.

Atlanta optioned Ritchie to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

Ritchie's stay with Atlanta lasted just one day, with the 23-year-old righty working out of the bullpen in Saturday's 14-3 win over the Mets and striking out four over three scoreless innings en route to collecting his first career save. Atlanta called up Carlos Carrasco from Triple-A in a corresponding move while Ritchie slots back into the rotation at Gwinnett.