MLB Player News

Diaz (hamstring) is slated to take live batting practice against Jose Alvarado (shoulder) on Thursday at Tropicana Field, the Associated Press reports.

Diaz was able to also take live batting practice Tuesday and came out of the session without setbacks, but he didn't do much running and was reportedly still feeling soreness in his right leg. The 29-year-old appears unlikely to be available for any of Tampa's remaining regular-season games, with a target of an early-postseason return for the AL East champion Rays the likely goal at this point. Juan Toribio of MLB.com also reports Diaz will test himself with what manager Kevin Cash described as "right-at-them groundballs" during the session, "just see how [his] hamstrings feel in the position of fielding a groundball and then coming up and making a throw out of that."

Naylor is not in Thursday's lineup against the White Sox.

He will head to the bench with southpaw Dallas Keuchel on the hill for Chicago. Oscar Mercado is starting in left field and batting seventh.

Guerrero went 2-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 14-1 rout of the Yankees.

Despite leaving four runners on base, Guerrero was productive in a game where five Blue Jays starters recorded multiple hits. With the second American League wild-card spot nearly clinched, Guerrero will look to continue his hot hitting through the end of the season and into the first postseason of his career.

Mountcastle went 3-for-4 in Wednesday's 9-1 loss to the Red Sox.

All three of Mountcastle's hits were singles, as were seven of the Orioles' other eight hits. The lack of extra-base power made it difficult for Mountcastle and the Orioles to create much offense against Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi. The 23-year-old Mountcastle is slashing an excellent .330/.385/.514 with five homers, 21 RBI and 11 runs scored in 31 games this year.

Santana went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Wednesday, as the Indians beat the White Sox 3-2.

Still south of the Mendoza Line, Santana has hit two timely home runs in this pivotal series against the White Sox. Regardless, he is still slashing a weak .160/.276/.440 over his past seven games.

Olson is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Dodgers.

Olson has started all 54 games at first base this season but will take a seat Wednesday while he is 4-for-31 with 18 strikeouts in his past nine games. Mark Canha shifts to first base while Khris Davis serves as the designated hitter.

Naylor is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox, Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Naylor typically starts against right-handed pitchers, but he'll head to the bench with an especially tough one (Lucas Giolito) on the bump for Chicago. Jordan Luplow replaces Naylor in left field.

Dalbec went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, two RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 8-3 win over the Orioles.

Dalbec has hit safely in three straight contests since an off-day Friday, which came after a 2-for-15 stretch that included 10 strikeouts. He's 5-for-10 with a home run and three RBI in his mini-streak. Dalbec has 10 extra-base hits among his 18 hits this season, giving the rookie a .375 ISO.

Diaz (hamstring) took between five and seven at-bats against live pitching prior to Tuesday's game but did minimal running, the Associated Press reports.

Manager Kevin Cash confirmed Diaz still feels soreness in his right leg three weeks after being placed on the injured list. The infielder has been able to take plenty of batting practice in recent days, but the fact he's still yet to regain full mobility means his status for the first round of the playoffs will be a down-to-the-wire decision, according to Cash.

Abreu went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 5-3 extra-inning loss to Cleveland.

He took Adam Plutko deep in the sixth inning to tie the game at 1-1. Abreu is up to 19 homers on the year, including six in the last 11 games -- a stretch during which he's hitting .452 (19-for-42) with 16 RBI.