MLB Player News

Manager Kevin Cash said there is a "very good chance" Diaz (hamstring) returns from the injured list Thursday, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.

Diaz has been sidelined since June 16 with a hamstring injury, but it sounds like he's on track to return from the injured list when first eligible Thursday. Prior to landing on the shelf, the third baseman slashed .286/.363/.502 with 11 home runs and a stolen base in 56 games.

Calhoun is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Reds.

Calhoun will retreat to the bench for Wednesday's series finale after starting the past eight games and going 7-for-32 (.219) with a pair of home runs and a 27.8 percent strikeout rate during that stretch. Brian Goodwin is starting in right field Wednesday.

Gurriel went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Pirates.

Gurriel's fourth-inning homer was all the Astros needed. It was the second straight game with a home run for Gurriel, who has seven for the season and is slugging .414, 24th among 26 first basemen with at least 250 plate appearances.

Olson went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs in a 7-3 victory against the Cardinals on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old began the scoring with his solo shot in the second. That gives him six homers this month and 13 on the year. That's not a bad number considering Olson missed all of April. He is batting .244 with a .536 slugging percentage, 23 extra-base hits, 26 RBI and 25 runs in 168 at-bats this season.

Mountcastle will make his professional debut in the outfield Tuesday for Triple-A Norfolk, starting in left field and hitting cleanup.

It has been clear for a couple years now that Mountcastle doesn't profile anywhere on the left side of the infield, but he had been limited mostly to first base work this year, while getting practice reps in the outfield. Mountcastle may be the rare hitting prospect who breaks in as a designated hitter, but he could also retain eligibility at outfield or first base. He could make his big-league debut this summer.

Lowe is hitting .303 (10-for-33) with two home runs, eight RBI, 10 walks and five runs over his last 10 games with Triple-A Durham.

Lowe was most recently sent back down to the Bulls on June 2 after a one-day stint with the Rays. He spent nine games with the team earlier in the season and has slashed .263/.310/.316 over 42 plate appearances at the big-league level thus far in 2019. Ji-Man Choi and Avisail Garcia currently hold down first base and designated hitter duties, respectively, for the big club. That makes Durham, which affords Lowe consistent game reps, the most prudent destination for his development at the moment.

Guerrero went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored and an RBI in Monday's loss to the Yankees.

The rookie is now hitting a solid .292 over his last 12 games, although he's not supplying the power that was expected of him (.375 SLG during that stretch). Guerrero's .255/.322/.420 so far in the majors is well below his minor-league performance, but things should click for him sooner or later.

Cabrera's suspension was reduced from four to three games upon appeal Monday, and he'll begin serving it Tuesday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The suspension stems from Cabrera's ejection for arguing balls and strikes Thursday against Cleveland. He'll miss the entirety of the upcoming series in Detroit but will be eligible to return Friday against the Rays.

Diaz (hamstring) has been able to work back up to doing running and sprinting and is on track to return from the injured list when first eligible Thursday, John Hickey of MLB.com reports.

Diaz's previously balky hamstring has been tolerating his gradual increase in activity well, so he and the team are optimistic about a return in the minimum time. Diaz actually began missing games three days prior to his official placement on the IL, which short-circuited what was shaping up as a highly productive month of June.

Santana went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two runs and a walk during an 8-3 victory against the Tigers on Sunday.

The 33-year-old snapped a modest three-game multiple hits streak Saturday, but he followed that up with another homer in this one. Santana has three long balls in the last four games. He is slashing .293/.416/.541 with 17 home runs, 47 RBI, 53 runs and three steals in 327 plate appearances this season.