MLB Player News

Steer (leg) remains out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays.

Steer will miss a second straight start because of a lingering leg issue. He was able to appear in Monday's game off the bench and presumably will be available again Tuesday. Sal Stewart is again handling first base and batting sixth for the Reds.

Barlow will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher in Tuesday's contest versus the Blue Jays, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Nick Lodolo was scheduled to start but was scratched due to an illness, so the Reds will go with an impromptu bullpen game Tuesday. Barlow will likely pitch an inning or two before being followed by a slew of relievers.

Lodolo has been scratched from Tuesday's start against the Blue Jays due to illness, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds will go with a bullpen game Tuesday instead, with Scott Barlow leading the way. It's unclear whether Lodolo's next start will simply be pushed back a few days or if his turn will be skipped.

Perez is slashing .306/.443/.729 with 10 home runs and eight steals in 24 games since getting promoted from Double-A Midland to Triple-A Las Vegas on Aug. 1.

Perez, who has primarily played center field this season, was a notable international signee by the Padres in 2018 and was dealt as a player to be named later in the June 2020 trade that sent Jorge Mateo from Oakland to San Diego. Perez turned 24 in July and has struggled with strikeouts in the past, but his 75 percent contact rate and 9.3 percent swinging-strike rate at Triple-A are solid enough marks, and pitchers are clearly worried about him (19.8 BB%). He will need to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason if the Athletics want to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

The White Sox optioned Booser to Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.

The left-hander was called up by Chicago last week and will return to Charlotte after giving up two runs in two innings over three appearances. Booser has an underwhelming 4.82 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 33:18 K:BB over 28 frames in the majors this year.

The White Sox recalled Hudson from Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.

The left-hander was up with Chicago for a couple days in early August after being claimed off waivers and will now receive another look in the majors. Hudson has made 15 appearances between the Brewers and White Sox this year and has a 5.14 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and 17:13 K:BB over 14 innings.

Ferris has a 3.89 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 124:61 K:BB in 115.2 innings for Double-A Tulsa.

The 6-foot-4 lefty is the second-youngest qualified pitcher at Double-A (Ferris turns 22 in January), so he can be given a little slack for not having pinpoint control at this stage. However, Ferris logged an 11.5 percent walk rate in 28.1 innings at Double-A last year and has an 11.9 percent walk rate this year, so things aren't trending in the right direction. He issued six walks in 6.2 innings in his most recent start Aug. 29 and has walked three or more batters in five of his last six starts, although he has been effectively wild (2.08 ERA, one home run allowed) during that stretch.

The Nationals signed Alfaro to a one-year contract Tuesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Alfaro recently opted out of his minor-league deal with the Brewers after slashing .244/.285/.430 with 15 home runs and 12 stolen bases with Triple-A Nashville. He'll give the Nationals an experienced catcher with Keibert Ruiz (concussion) still working his way back and Drew Millas (finger) out for the season.

Johnson has a 2.66 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 132:36 K:BB in 101.1 innings for Double-A Montgomery.

Johnson has set a carer high in innings this year with time to spare, and he is also on pace to best his ratios from his breakout 2024 season. The big question with the 6-foot-6 righty coming into the year was the quality of his changeup, as he mostly relied on his plus fastball and plus slider a year ago. However, his changeup has kept lefties in check this year (0.97 WHIP, .172 average against), and Johnson is now looking like a future mid-rotation starter. He may get a taste of Triple-A to close out the year and will likely head to Triple-A to begin 2026.

Fernandez was promoted from the Arizona Complex League to Single-A Lynchburg on Aug. 28.

Fernandez passed his stateside debut with flying colors, slashing .333/.398/.558 with six home runs and 16 steals in 43 ACL games, and this run with the Hillcats to close the year will just be the cherry on top. The 18-year-old switch hitter's first two games at Single-A have come at shortstop, but he also saw double-digit games at third base and second base while playing at the complex. Like many young Guardians infield prospects before him, Fernandez is undersized (listed at 5-foot-9, 155 pounds) and seen as a hit-over-power prospect who could grow into sneaky power, so he exceeded expectations as a slugger this summer, albeit against weak rookie-level pitching.