MLB Player News

Castro (hamstring) is performing all baseball activities, recently adding baserunning, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Castro has been out for two weeks with a left hamstring strain, but he appears to be closing in on a return. He filled just a part-time role prior to the injury and will presumably be used similarly once healthy.

Torres (hamstring) could return to the lineup at some point during the Yankees' weekend series in Baltimore, source reports.

Torres seems to be well ahead of the 3-to-6-week timeline given by general manager Brian Cashman as recently as last Friday. He remains without a specific target date as he works his way back from a left hamstring strain, but he's expected to head to the Yankees' alternate training site for a few days to get some at-bats in soon before being activated shortly thereafter.

Herrera's contract was selected by the Orioles on Tuesday.

Herrera has yet to make his season debut and hit just .184/.268/.414 in 97 plate appearances for the Reds in 2018, his most recent big-league campaign, striking out at a 40.2 percent clip. He'll give the Orioles some added infield depth but is unlikely to play frequently.

Arraez is not in the lineup Tuesday against the White Sox.

Arraez hasn't done much at the plate this season, hitting a modest .264/.320/.297. Ildemaro Vargas will take over at second base Tuesday.

The Blue Jays designated Drury for assignment Monday.

Drury was cast off the 40-man roster following Monday's acquisition of Jonathan Villar, who is expected to serve as Toronto's everyday shortstop until Bo Bichette (knee) returns from the 10-day injured list. Before being optioned to the Blue Jays' alternate site over the weekend, Drury posted a .358 OPS over his 49 plate appearances with the big club.

Semien (side) is feeling slightly better Monday, according to general manager David Forst, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Forst also mentioned that Semien has dealt with the side soreness in each of the past two seasons. It's still unclear when the shortstop will be able to return to the top of Oakland's lineup, but there remains the possibility that he'll be ready Thursday in Seattle, if the club is cleared to resume play then. The A's are currently isolating in Houston as they await COVID-19 tests after a member of the organization tested positive Sunday.

Andrus (back) was activated from the 10-day injured list Monday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Andrus had a relatively short stay on the injured list as he dealt with a lower-back strain. He'll return as the starting shortstop despite his struggles at the plate to begin the season. Isiah Kiner-Falefa should move back to third base. Rougned Odor (eye) was placed on the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move.

Manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Torres (hamstring) was "getting close" to returning from the injured list, Sweeny Murti of Sports Radio 66 WFAN reports.

"Close" is of course a relative term, and Torres' exact return date remains unclear, but this certainly seems to be good news for the young infielder. Torres indicated when he landed on the injured list back on Aug. 21 that he expected to miss just two weeks, though general manager Brian Cashman later gave him a 3-to-6-week timeline. Unless "getting close" implies an absence of at least 11 more days, it appears that Cashman's timeline may have been overly pessimistic.

Jones' contract was selected by the Angels on Monday.

Jones has yet to play above Double-A, and he doesn't seem to have conquered that level yet, as he struggled to a .234/.308/.324 slash line in a full season for Mobile last year. While he'll likely receive a handful of opportunities for the last-place Angels down the stretch, it's hard to envision him immediately stepping into a fantasy-relevant role.

Short was sent from the Cubs to the Tigers in exchange for Cameron Maybin on Monday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Short has a rather unique statline, as he's a career .241 hitter in the minors but owns a 16.4 percent walk rate, helping him to a strong .377 on-base percentage. If big-league pitchers have no reason to fear his bat, that walk rate could take a hit at the highest level, but Short's ability to fill in around the infield could still be enough for him to carve out a career in a bench role.