MLB Player News

The Red Sox reinstated Contreras from the 10-day injured list, and he's starting at first base Sunday against the Royals, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.

The veteran slugger is ready to rejoin the Red Sox after going 2-for-7 with two RBI and three strikeouts during a two-game rehab assignment. Contreras landed on the shelf due to a left hamstring strain Aug. 31, but he ended up missing just a little more than the 10-day minimum.

Naylor went 3-for-5 with a double, one RBI and one run scored in Saturday's 19-1 win over the Athletics.

Naylor is batting .298 (14-for-47) in September, with this being his fourth multi-hit effort in 11 games this month. The double was his third extra-base hit of the month. Naylor is batting .270 with a .688 OPS, 10 home runs, 50 RBI, 56 runs scored, 21 doubles and 27 stolen bases over 139 contests.

Burger went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Burger was able to contribute a rare burst of speed during the Rangers' six-run fifth inning. The first baseman is hitting just .200 (7-for-35) in September, but he's also drawn nine walks over his 11 contests this month, while three of his hits have been homers. On the year, Burger is batting .235 with a .735 OPS, 26 homers, 83 RBI, 65 runs scored, 21 doubles and four steals through a career-high 142 games.

Alonso went 1-for-3 with two walks and a two-run home run in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays.

The slugging first baseman took Paul Sewald deep in the seventh inning, but the Orioles were already staring at a 6-1 hole at that point. Alonso has reached the 35-homer mark for the sixth time in his career, and he's closing in on a couple milestones -- he needs one more RBI to record his fifth season with 100 or more, and his next long ball will be the 300th of his career. Over his past 25 games, Alonso is batting .269 (25-for-93) with eight homers and 19 RBI as Baltimore tries to stay in the wild-card picture.

Guardians assistant general manager Matt Foreman said that Velazquez hasn't played for Triple-A Columbus since last Sunday due to lingering lower-body soreness, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Widely considered the Guardians' top prospect and regarded as one of the top power bats in the minors, Velazquez is being viewed as day-to-day and is expected to make it back into the Columbus lineup before the International League season concludes Sept. 20. The 21-year-old first baseman has hit .298 with 29 home runs across 117 games between Columbus and Double-A Akron this season.

Contreras (hamstring) served as the designated hitter and went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored for Double-A Portland on Friday.

Contreras, who kicked off a rehab assignment Friday, is scheduled to play first base for the Sea Dogs on Saturday. The Red Sox will reassess where he's at following Saturday's game.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Friday that Hoskins (back) has begun a swing progression program, MLB.com reports.

Hoskins still has time to make it back from the injured list before the end of the regular season, though he'll need to take live at-bats in simulated games and/or head out on a minor-league rehab assignment prior to being activated. Once he rejoins the Guardians, Hoskins will likely occupy the short side of a platoon at first base with Nathaniel Lowe.

Naylor went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and two runs scored in Friday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Athletics.

Naylor has hit .292 (15-for-120) with five steals and six extra-base hits over his last 30 games. The improvement in contact is a positive sign for the first baseman, who has struggled to live up to expectations in his first full year with the Mariners. He's batting .267 with a .682 OPS, 10 home runs, 27 steals, 49 RBI, 55 runs scored and 20 doubles across 138 contests.

Schanuel (intercostal) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake this weekend, Erica Weston of Angels Broadcast Television reports.

Schanuel has been shelved for the past three weeks with a right intercostal strain, but he's ready to test things out in a game setting. Because the first baseman's absence has been relatively brief, he should be ready for activation sometime next week if all goes well on his rehab assignment.

Murakami is absent from the lineup for Friday's game in St. Louis.

The Cardinals are sending left-hander Matthew Liberatore to the mound, so the White Sox are giving their left-handed-hitting slugger a day off. Miguel Vargas will slide over to first base, Colson Montgomery will cover third base and Luisangel Acuna will grab a start at shortstop.