MLB Player News

Mesa (hamstring) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Baltimore, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mesa was pulled from Friday's contest due to tightness in his left hamstring, and he'll take a day off Saturday to heal. Jonny DeLuca will fill in as Tampa Bay's right fielder and bat sixth.

Robert isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Nationals.

Robert will grab a seat on the bench Saturday after recording at least one hit in five of his last six games, going 6-for-20 with two homers, five RBI and two runs scored in that span. Brett Baty, A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge will start across the outfield while Robert rests.

Tatis went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk Friday in a 7-5 win over Cleveland.

Tatis' lone hit was a 404-foot solo homer to left field in fifth inning. The star outfielder appears to have discovered his power stroke this month -- he's gone deep five times across nine games since Aug. 5 after posting just eight long balls through his first 112 contests this season. Tatis has lifted his OPS over 30 points to .778 with the power surge, and he's now at 13 total long balls to go along with 28 stolen bases.

The Rays optioned Roycroft to Triple-A Durham on Saturday.

After coming up from the minors July 29, Roycroft coughed up six earned runs on eight hits and two walks while fanning two batters in 4.1 innings. His poor performance will now cost him his place in the Rays' bullpen in favor of Joe Boyle.

The Rays recalled Boyle from Triple-A Durham on Saturday.

Boyle last pitched in the majors April 8 and has since accumulated a 9.13 ERA and 2.14 WHIP over 47.1 innings at Triple-A. He'll reclaim a spot in the big-league bullpen despite his poor performance, though he'll almost certainly be limited to low-leverage work. Chris Roycroft was optioned to Durham in a corresponding move.

The Angels claimed Martin off waivers from the Rays on Saturday and optioned him to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Martin was DFA'd by Tampa Bay on Thursday after putting up a 3.97 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in 11.1 innings with the Rays, but he'll now find a new home on the West Coast. The 25-year-old will begin his tenure with the Angels at Triple-A but could be promoted at some point later in the year to give the Halos a fresh bullpen arm.

Witt went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and two walks in Friday's 7-6 win over the Angels.

Witt reached base three times, scoring twice as part of a winning effort for the Royals. The star shortstop has reached base safely in all 10 games since recovering from tightness in his lower back, slashing .342/.432/.421 with three doubles, three RBI, 11 runs and two stolen bases over that span. Overall, Witt is hitting .285/.358/.447 with 13 homers, 25 doubles, 42 RBI, 62 runs and 32 stolen bases across 104 contests.

Ruiz isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Mets, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Ruiz will move to the bench after going 0-for-8 across the Nationals' last two games. Harry Ford will fill in at catcher and bat fifth.

Cortes went 1-for-2 with a double, three RBI and a walk in Friday's 8-3 win over the Rangers.

Cortes came to the plate with the bases loaded in the first inning, lacing a bases-clearing double to give the Athletics an early 3-0 lead. The 29-year-old has racked up seven RBI over the past three games, matching the seven RBI he recorded across his previous 30 contests. Overall, Cortes is slashing .260/.337/.415 with seven homers, 35 RBI, 23 runs and two stolen bases across 91 games this season.

Judge (ribs) began playing catch Friday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

The Yankees have been gradually ramping up Judge's activity level, and his return to throwing represents his latest significant sign of progress. Manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that the star slugger could be cleared to return in about a month but noted that Judge remains without an official timeline, as his fractured rib still hasn't quite fully healed.