MLB Player News

Rutschman is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

It's the second time on the bench in Baltimore's past three games for Rutschman, who is batting .292 (7-for-24) with four doubles, two RBI and three runs through his first eight games of the season. Samuel Basallo is stepping in behind the plate while Gunnar Henderson rests his legs as the designated hitter.

The Nationals activated Schultz (elbow) from the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Schultz missed much of spring training and the start of the season while recuperating from right elbow inflammation, but he's ready to go after making three rehab appearances. He was claimed off waivers by the Nationals over the offseason and is likely slated for a middle-relief role.

Waldichuk was charged with a blown save Monday, giving up three runs on two hits and two walks over 2.1 innings in a 9-6 win over the Cardinals. He struck out two.

Both hits off Waldichuk left the yard, as Ramon Urias took him deep in the sixth inning before Jordan Walker swatted a fastball over the right-field fence to lead off the eighth. Waldichuk has worked more than one inning in all four of his appearances to begin the season, but he's been far from effective with a 7.04 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 7:5 K:BB in 7.2 innings. The 28-year-old southpaw has minor-league options remaining, so he could be the next pitcher cycled out of the Nationals' bullpen when the club needs a fresh arm.

Baty (thumb) is starting in right field and batting fifth Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.

Baty sat out Sunday's matchup with the Giants due to a jammed thumb, which he sustained on a slide during Saturday's contest. The 26-year-old, who has a .242/.242/.364 slash line with no homers and one steal through 33 plate appearances this year, is ready for action after taking Monday's team off day to recover from the injury.

Perez (1-1) picked up the win Monday, allowing one hit in a scoreless ninth inning to close out a 9-6 victory over the Cardinals.

Despite pitching the ninth inning with a three-run lead, Perez was officially credited with a win and not a save as the Nationals' other relievers hadn't exactly been effective -- between them, Ken Waldichuk and Andre Granillo coughed up five runs in three innings. It's still intriguing high-leverage usage for Perez given the unsettled nature of the Washington bullpen, but the 29-year-old southpaw has only avoided allowing any runs himself in two of his five appearances to begin the season, stumbling to a 14.73 ERA and 3:2 K:BB in 3.2 innings.

Abrams went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Monday's win over the Cardinals.

The shortstop launched the third of three eighth-inning homers by the Nationals as part of a six-run eruption that erased a 6-3 deficit. Abrams has gone yard four times in the last five games and hit safely in seven straight, batting .321 (9-for-28) over the latter stretch with a .750 SLG, eight runs, 11 RBI and two steals.

House went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a two-run home run in Monday's win over the Cardinals.

The third baseman drove a Matt Svanson sweeper 423 feet to straightaway center field as part of a three-homer, six run eruption from the Nationals' offense in the bottom of the eighth inning. House has had an impressive start to the season, slashing .333/.400/.583 through 10 games with three doubles, two homers, five RBI and seven runs, but his 4:12 BB:K remains a potential area of concern as the 22-year-old looks to solidify his spot as the future for the organization at the hot corner.

Pham is set to play for Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday, and he made need only 3-5 games in the minors before being ready for a promotion, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The Mets suddenly have an opening in left field with Juan Soto (calf) landing on the IL, and Pham could be an option to fill in as soon as next week. In the meantime, Brett Baty (thumb), Tyrone Taylor and Jared Young will split the available corner-outfield reps. The 38-year-old Pham slashed .245/.330/.370 over 120 games for the Pirates last season with 10 homers, five steals, 44 runs and 52 RBI.

Zastryzny (shoulder) was diagnosed with an intercostal strain and will be sidelined until at least late April, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The 34-year-old lefty sustained the injury during his rehab assignment over the weekend while working his way back from a shoulder strain. Zastryzny will be sidelined for at least a couple more weeks as he contends with the new injury.

Hansen (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Palm Beach on Tuesday.

Hansen has had a delayed start to the minor-league season after developing left shoulder stiffness during spring training. The southpaw posted a 3.93 ERA and 123:37 K:BB over 137.1 innings with Double-A Springfield in 2025 and is set to move up to Triple-A Memphis once he's done with his rehab assignment.