MLB Player News

Mountcastle (hamstring) said Friday that he began a hitting progression this week and is hoping to return once he's eligible for reinstatement July 30, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Mountcastle was given an 8-to-12 week return timeline, and he's trending toward being activated around the eight-week mark, having made significant strides in his recovery. The 28-year-old will have to avoid a setback, but he's on track for a late-July or early August return.

France is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Tigers.

France will get the night off Friday after making six consecutive starts at first base. In his place, Kody Clemens will start at first base and bat seventh.

The Red Sox recalled Sogard from Triple-A Worcester on Friday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Sogard will step onto the active roster temporarily in place of Marcelo Mayer, who's on the bereavement list. In 53 plate appearances with Boston, Sogard is slashing .245/.302/.306 with eight runs scored and two RBI.

Manager John Schneider said on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that Guerrero (forearm) is likely to be in the lineup Friday against the Red Sox.

The 26-year-old slugger had an injury scare Thursday against the Guardians when he was hit by a pitch in the right forearm, but he was diagnosed with a contusion after X-rays came back negative and appears to have avoided a serious injury. Even if Guerrero ends up receiving a rest day Friday in Boston, it sounds as though he should be back in the lineup quickly for Toronto.

Torkelson went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and an additional run scored in Thursday's 8-0 win over the A's.

Torkelson opened the scoring in the second inning with a solo shot off Jeffrey Springs, his 17th of the year. The homer is Torkelson's first since June 10. The 25-year-old first baseman had gone just 2-for-27 (.074) in seven games prior to Thursday. Overall, Torkelson is slashing .224/.328/.474 with 50 RBI and 45 runs scored across 320 plate appearances this season.

X-rays on Guerrero's right forearm came back negative after he had to be removed from Thursday's contest against the Guardians following a hit-by-pitch.

Guerrero eventually had to exit the game after being struck by a Tanner Bibee offering, but he has managed to escape with merely a contusion. Consider Guerrero day-to-day.

Guerrero was removed from Thursday's game against the Guardians in the fourth inning following a hit-by-pitch on the left arm, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

After grounding out in the first inning, Guerrero was struck by a Tanner Bibee offering in the third. He remained in the game to run the bases and played defense in the bottom of the frame, but the slugger was lifted prior to the bottom of the fourth. Guerrero is likely headed for X-rays, and an update on his status should come soon.

Guerrero went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Guardians.

Guerrero got the Blue Jays on the board with a solo homer in the fourth inning and later walked and scored again in the sixth. The 26-year-old has hit safely seven times over his last 10 games, collecting seven extra-base hits, 10 RBI and seven runs scored during that stretch. For the season, he's slashing .282/.387/.450 with 11 home runs, 40 RBI, 48 runs scored and two steals across 344 plate appearances.

Kurtz went 3-for-3 with a three-run homer in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Tigers.

Kurtz accounted for all of the offense Wednesday with one swing, launching a 438-foot blast off Jack Flaherty in the third inning to put the A's ahead for good. The rookie first baseman now has six homers and 12 RBI in his last 10 contests. Overall, Kurtz is slashing .255/.313/.523 with 11 homers, 28 RBI and 19 runs scored through his first 166 major-league plate appearances.

Goldschmidt is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.

After Goldschmidt was on the bench for the final two games of the Yankees' series with the Orioles over the weekend, manager Aaron Boone suggested that the veteran first baseman would start in all three of the team's games in Cincinnati to begin the week. Goldschmidt will ultimately wind up starting in just two of those contests, as he'll hit the bench for Wednesday's series finale after going 0-for-10 with three strikeouts between Monday and Tuesday. Goldschmidt should continue to play regularly versus left-handed pitching, but his opportunities against right-handed pitching are likely to become more limited while he's put together a .244/.287/.330 batting line (73 wRC+) in those matchups this season. Ben Rice (148 wRC+ versus righties) and Jasson Dominguez (122 wRC+ versus righties) could see more playing time at Goldschmidt's expense.