New York Yankees rookie catcher/first baseman Ben Rice and infielder Oswaldo Cabrera will both start on the bench on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium against the Cleveland Guardians. DJ LeMahieu is starting at first base and batting eighth, while Oswald Peraza is starting at the hot corner and is hitting ninth against Guardians left-hander Matthew Boyd. Rice has stepped up in his first big-league season with seven home runs in 133 at-bats in the absence of Anthony Rizzo (forearm), but the 25-year-old lefty swinger is also hitting only .188 (25-for-133) with 40 strikeouts in 157 plate appearances. He's gone 4-for-28 (.143) with one of his seven home runs against lefties, so it shouldn't be a surprise that he's on the bench on Tuesday. LeMahieu has fallen on hard times in 2024 after starting late due to injury, slashing just .194/.270/.256 with two homers and 24 RBI in 61 games. He's 7-for-56 (.125) with one homer against lefties.

Atlanta Braves infield prospect Alejo Lopez has enjoyed an excellent season at Triple-A Gwinnett but has been especially impressive as of late and could be a candidate to return to the majors. Across his past seven games, Lopez has been riding a stellar .500/.559/.750 line with three doubles, two triples, 14 RBI, and a 4:3 BB:K ratio. Through 96 games at Triple-A, the infielder has posted a strong .308/.394/.393 line with 17 doubles and 21 stolen bases. Lopez has had a handful of minor stints in the big leagues with Cincinnati over the past few seasons but has never had an extended opportunity. With the recent injury to All-Star third baseman Austin Riley (hand), who is expected to miss approximately six to eight weeks, Lopez could be promoted to serve as a depth option in the Atlanta infield.

Atlanta Braves outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler (hamstring) is still sidelined for the Braves on Tuesday against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park. Ramon Laureano is starting in right field for Atlanta and is batting in the two-hole versus Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler. Soler suffered a strained left hamstring last Wednesday and will now sit out his fifth straight game as a result. If the 32-year-old veteran right-handed slugger isn't able to get back in Atlanta's starting lineup by the end of the week, he could require a trip to the 10-day injured list. Soler was a disappointment with the San Francisco Giants earlier this year before being traded to Atlanta, where he's gone 12-for-45 (.267) with four home runs and 11 RBI in 13 games since the end of July. Laureano is in an interesting lineup spot on Tuesday, but he's also in a shy-away matchup against Wheeler. He's hitting .224/.296/.410 on the year with seven homers and four stolen bases.UPDATE: Soler thinks he'll be ready by Friday.

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (elbow) remains out of the team's starting lineup on Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox at Minute Maid Park. Bregman has now missed five straight games due to swelling in the back of his right elbow. The 30-year-old two-time All-Star said it happened from sleeping on his arm wrong. He has been hitting and taking ground balls, so it seems like any day now he could return to the field. But for now, rookie Shay Whitcomb will make a fourth straight start at the hot corner and will bat eighth on Tuesday against Red Sox right-hander Nick Pivetta. Whitcomb, 25, made his big-league debut on Saturday and has gone 3-for-10 with a double, two walks and five strikeouts in his first 12 major-league plate appearances. Bregman hasn't been ruled out for Wednesday's series finale against Boston, but it's more likely he's back on Thursday against Baltimore.

The St. Louis Cardinals granted veteran shortstop Brandon Crawford his unconditional release on Tuesday to help make room on the roster for infielders Matt Carpenter (back) and Luken Baker. In his first year with St. Louis, Crawford hasn't seen much action behind starter Masyn Winn, playing in only 28 games and hitting .169/.263/.282 with a career-worst .544 OPS, one home runs, five doubles, four RBI and five runs scored. The three-time All-Star will now look to latch on with another organization to close out the 2024 season, but he's probably going to have to settle for a minor-league contract. This very well could be the 37-year-old's final year in the big leagues after a successful 14-year stint in the majors that begin in 2011 with the San Francisco Giants. Crawford had only appeared in four games for the Red Birds after the All-Star break.