MLB Player News

Noda (jaw) has been cleared to begin hitting again while donning a batting helmet, the Associated Press reports.

Manager Mark Kotsay labeled the latest benchmark in Noda's recovery from a fractured jaw "a good sign" and added that the rookie is set for another evaluation with his oral surgeon next week. Noda's ability to begin taking batting practice again should help him preserve some timing, although he's likely to require a rehab assignment before his eventual activation.

Santana went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Padres.

All three Pittsburgh runs came on solo shots, but it was Santana's blast in the top of the ninth inning off Robert Suarez that proves to be the difference-maker. The 37-year-old switch hitter has been productive since the All-Star break, slashing .250/.388/.575 with four doubles, three homers and eight RBI in 12 games.

Montero went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's loss to the Nationals.

Montero jumped on a hanging curveball from Jake Irvin in his first at-bat of the contest and sent it into the stands in left field, scoring Harold Castro as the Rockies took a 2-0 lead. The 24-year-old third baseman would then go down on strikes in each of his next three plate appearances as Colorado fell to the Nationals in dramatic fashion. It was certainly a nice start for Montero in his return to the lineup after being promoted from Triple-A, though he's now struck out seven times over his last three games in the big leagues.

Walker went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's 11-7 loss to the Cardinals.

Walker's ninth-inning, two-run homer was the first baseman's second in three games. The first half of July was not kind to Walker (4-for-40), but he's turned it around in the second half. Walker's hit safely in seven of the last nine games, going 13-for-34 (.382) with four doubles, four home runs, nine RBI and nine runs scored during that stretch. His 22 home runs and 67 RBI lead the Diamondbacks.

Casas went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks in a 5-3 win against Atlanta on Wednesday.

Casas' perfect day at the plate included a seventh-inning solo shot off Spencer Strider that cut Atlanta's lead to a single run. The Boston first baseman has collected multiple hits in four of his past five contests, going 9-for-16 (.563 average) with three home runs, six RBI and a 5:4 BB:K during that span. While Casas' .253 season batting average is nothing to shout about, he's maintained a .360 OBP on the strength of an excellent 14.9 percent walk rate and has blasted 15 long balls, six of which have come in his past 11 games.

Lowe went 2-for-4 with a home run, two walks, three RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 13-5 win over the Astros.

Lowe got the Rangers on the board with a two-run homer in the third inning, then drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run in the fifth. He's been consistent at the plate since the All-Star break, hitting safely in 11 of 12 games while batting .429 (18-for-42) over that span. The first baseman has 12 homers, 57 RBI, 69 runs scored, 27 doubles and two triples while slashing .286/.380/.455 through 102 games overall.

Lester cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

He's no longer on the 40-man roster, but Lester has accepted the outright assignment and will remain in the organization. The 29-year-old has an .827 OPS with 15 home runs at Norfolk this season.

O'Hearn is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

With left-hander Ranger Suarez taking the bump for the Phillies, the lefty-hitting O'Hearn will unsurprisingly retreat to the bench. Ryan Mountcastle will replace O'Hearn at first base in the series finale.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday that the MRI results on Diaz's left groin were encouraging, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Diaz didn't play in Wednesday's loss to the Marlins after exiting Tuesday's game with groin tightness. While it's not clear when he might be ready to return to the lineup, it appears he will be able to avoid the injured list for the time being. Diaz dealt with a left groin issue earlier this season as well but didn't require an IL stint at that time.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said that Kirilloff is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Mariners due to a sore shoulder, which Kirilloff injured on a diving play in Tuesday's 9-7 loss, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

After Kirilloff had started each of the last nine games, he appeared to be sitting out Wednesday's day game for maintenance purposes, but Baldelli clarified that an injury is keeping the 25-year-old out of the lineup. The Twins have an off day Thursday, and Baldelli is optimistic that Kirilloff will be ready to go for the club's weekend series in Kansas City after getting two full days of rest. Kansas City is expected to start a southpaw (Ryan Yarbrough) on Sunday, so the lefty-hitting Kirilloff is still likely to hit the bench for at least one game this weekend even if he's cleared for Friday's series opener.