MLB Player News

Ruiz remains in concussion protocol but is continuing to take part in baseball activities, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

While the fact that Ruiz hasn't been shut down from activity is encouraging, the Nationals haven't provided much information regarding the extent of his workouts, nor has the team provided any indication of how close he might be to exiting concussion protocol. Since Ruiz landed on the injured list July 8, the Nationals have turned to Riley Adams as their primary option at catcher.

The Reds list Martinez as their starting pitcher for Friday's series opener versus the Brewers in Cincinnati.

After a brief stint in the bullpen, Martinez moved back into the rotation last week when Nick Lodolo (finger) landed on the injured list. The veteran righty proceeded to deliver a gem in Saturday's win over the Pirates, striking out four over seven innings while allowing just one earned run on four hits and two walks to earn himself another turn through the rotation. With the Reds set to get Hunter Greene (groin) back from the IL to start Wednesday's game against the Phillies and with Martinez receiving another start, rookie Chase Burns appears likely to have his turn in the rotation skipped for at least this week. Manager Terry Francona acknowledged Monday that Burns will be facing some workload restrictions as the season winds down, so the Reds could shift him to the bullpen in order to help manage his innings count while also allowing the team to keep a five-man rotation intact.

DeJong went 2-for-4 with a walk and a two-run home run in Monday's loss to the Royals.

Getting the start at third base, DeJong took Daniel Lynch deep in the fifth inning to provide the Nationals with their final offense of the night. DeJong has three straight multi-hit performances, with the prior two starts coming at second base while Luis Garcia was dealing with back tightness. Garcia returned to the starting nine Monday, but interim manager Miguel Cairo will be motivated to keep DeJong in the lineup given his hot bat -- over 40 plate appearances since the All-Star break, the veteran utility infielder is slashing .333/.375/.639 with two doubles, three homers, two steals and seven RBI.

Bell went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Monday's loss to the Royals.

The streaky slugger took Bailey Falter deep in the first inning, but the Nationals couldn't hold onto that early lead. Bell has four extra-base hits -- two doubles and two homers -- in the last three games, and over 18 contests since the All-Star break he's slashing .311/.440/.557 with four of his 15 long balls on the season.

The Royals transferred Canha's (elbow) rehab assignment from Double-A Northwest Arkansas to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.

Canha appeared in three games for Northwest Arkansas, going 3-for-11 with a home run. He'll likely play in at least a couple of games for Omaha before the Royals potentially bring him back from the 10-day injured list for this weekend's series versus the White Sox.

Gray (elbow) continues to throw bullpen sessions at the Nationals' spring training complex in Florida, but the team has no immediate plans to have him face live pitching, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

The right-hander is now over a year removed from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace, and he's been throwing side sessions since June. While Gray has indicated he would like to make a few starts in the majors before the end of the season, the organization doesn't seem to have much urgency to accelerate his rehab. The Nationals haven't yet ruled Gray out from pitching in 2025, but at this point, the organization appears to be targeting next spring for his return to a big-league mound.

Crews (oblique) will remain on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester through Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

The 23-year-old outfielder played full nine-inning games Saturday and Sunday with Rochester, but with the Nationals not in the playoff picture, they have little incentive to rush Crews back from the oblique strain that has kept him on the injured list since May 21. Through 11 games during his rehab assignment, Crews is batting .278 with two home runs and a 1:6 BB:K. Washington could be waiting until it wraps up its current road trip before bringing him back from the IL for its home series against the Phillies that begins Thursday.

Toro went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's 7-6 loss to Houston.

Toro initiated a two-out, four-run rally in the seventh inning when he belted a homer against the team that drafted him in 2017 and for whom he played 93 games from 2019-21. He was a pleasant surprise for the Red Sox earlier this season, but Toro has languished since the All-Star break, slashing .194/.257/.323 with two home runs and five RBI over 20 contests. Toro continues to share first base with Romy Gonzalez.

Williamson (elbow) recently began throwing from a mound at the Reds' training facility in Goodyear (Ariz.) but has returned to Cincinnati, MLB.com reports.

The report indicates Williamson was told to "throttle back," which suggests the stress of throwing from a mound was too much for the left-hander. He'll be with the Reds for the week to play catch and participate in workouts. Williamson is recovering from Tommy John surgery he underwent last September and is not expected back until 2026.

Gibaut (shoulder) has returned to Cincinnati, where he is undergoing tests after being pulled from a rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.

Gibaut was roughed up in a rehab outing for Triple-A Louisville last week and had the assignment paused when his arm didn't recover well. It's unclear if it was the shoulder or another part of the arm that is the source of the current problem.