MLB Player News

Joseph was outrighted to Double-A Bowie on Sunday after going unclaimed off waivers, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports.

As expected, the other 29 teams had limited interest in acquiring Joseph through trade or the waiver wire after the Orioles designated him for assignment last week. Though he didn't make much of an impression while appearing in four games with the Orioles, Joseph has been magnificent with Bowie this season, logging a .947 OPS across 286 plate appearances. That production isn't quite as impressive after accounting for the fact that the 29-year-old is well above the median age for the Eastern League.

Chavis (suspension) will make his 2018 debut with short-season Lowell on Monday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Chavis will be back in action after serving an 80-game suspension for the use of a performance-enhancing substance. Expect to see him back at the Double-A level in the near future after getting some reps in with Lowell.

Torres went 1-for-4 with a walk and a three-run home run Sunday against the Red Sox.

Torres recorded only one hit but made it count by launching a three-run home run off David Price in the first inning. It was his 15th home run of the season and first since June 19, his longest drought since waiting 12 games to record his first major-league home run after being called up April 22. That's an indication of just how well he's played, as is his .552 slugging percentage through 212 at-bats this season.

Chavis (suspension) is able to return to action Monday and will report to short-season Lowell, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Chavis is expected to be activated after serving an 80-game suspension for the use of a performance-enhancing substance. He slashed .250/.310/.492 with 14 homers and 39 RBI through 67 games for the Sea Dogs in 2017 and, after this stint at the lower level, he should return to them later this season after getting back in game shape.

Sweeney was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo following Sunday's 9-1 loss to the Tigers, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Sweeney was summoned from the bench as a defensive replacement late in the blowout loss Sunday, representing his first big-league action since 2015. The 27-year-old's potential return to Toronto will get a little easier after he was added to the 40-man roster Friday, but he's unlikely to be anything more than a lightly used bench bat the next time he receives a cup of coffee.

Barreto is out of the lineup Sunday against the Indians, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

It looks like Barreto's time as an everyday player for the Athletics could soon be coming to an end. Per Slusser, the Athletics anticipate that Matt Chapman (hand) will be ready to return from the 10-day disabled list Tuesday against the Padres, at which point he would step back in as the team's everyday third baseman while Jed Lowrie heads back to the keystone. That would leave no path to consistent at-bats for Barreto in the middle infield, so it's expected that he'll be sent back to New Orleans after what has been an up-and-down stint with the big club. In 12 games since his June 15 promotion, Barreto has gone 11-for-45 (.244 average) with three home runs and 10 RBI, but he has struck out in 43.5 percent of his plate appearances.

Twins manager Paul Molitor said Polanco (suspension) will be reinstated Monday and rejoin the lineup later that day for the team's game against the Brewers, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Unless Polanco experiences an unexpected setback with the finger infection he battled prior to heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment June 24, he'll likely be reinstalled as the Twins' everyday shortstop, bumping Ehire Adrianza to a reserve role. Polanco, who has gone 8-for-19 with a home run and four walks across six games between two minor-league affiliates, should provide a significant boost to the Minnesota offense after emerging as one of baseball's top hitters in the second half of last season. The 24-year-old slashed an impressive .293/.359/.511 with 10 home runs and seven steals after the All-Star break and profiled as an intriguing fantasy option at shortstop entering 2018 before he was handed an 80-game suspension in March for violating MLB's policy against performance-enhancing drugs.

Merrifield went 3-for-5 with a run scored Saturday against the Mariners.

Merrifield collected three singles, so it wasn't his most productive three-hit game. That remains a trend for him, as he has now failed to record an extra-base hit in his past three games, all of which of have been multi-hit efforts. While his .289 batting average and .362 on-base percentage are strong, Merrifield has not homered since May 14, so expecting power production from him moving forward is not advisable.

Semien went 2-for-3 with an RBI single in a win over the Indians on Friday.

Semien now has back-to-back multi-hit efforts for only the second time since May 19-22, and he's gone 5-for-11 with two RBI, a walk and two runs in his last three games overall. The 27-year-old shortstop has been able to avoid the injury bug this season after missing a chunk of time following wrist surgery in 2017, but he's slashing a rather lackluster .251/.305/.368 through 367 plate appearances.

Motter (concussion) thinks he will be able to return at or shortly after the seven-day minimum stay on the disabled list, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

He will be eligible to return July 6 and apparently thinks he will back around that date. Motter said he was feeling better Saturday and hopes to do 15-20 minutes on the stationary bike. Ehire Adrianza figures to get the bulk of the playing time while Motter is out.