MLB Player News

Tomlinson (thumb) is not expected to return until after the All-Star break, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area reports.

Tomlinson seems to be close to full health -- his rehab was moved to Triple-A Sacramento on Monday following a two-game stint with High-A San Jose -- but manager Bruce Bochy said none of the team's DL players will return before the break. Look for Tomlinson to slot back into a utility role in the second half, seeing occasional starts (mostly against left-handed pitching) between second base, shortstop, third and left field.

Beckham (hamstring) will play in a few more rehab games and hopes to be activated Thursday, Kevin McAlpin of 680 AM Atlanta reports.

Beckham has collected three hits in the last two games for High-A Carolina, and has hit safely in all but one of his rehab outings. Upon returning, he could threaten the playing time of Adonis Garcia, who is in the midst of a bit of a slump at the plate.

Espinosa went 4-for-5 with two home runs and six RBI in Sunday's blowout win over the Reds.

The shortstop destroyed Cincinnati pitching over the course of their four-game series, going 7-for-18 (.389) with five homers and 15 RBI. Espinosa's hot streak not only gives him 18 home runs on the season, but it also puts him in the team HR lead, one ahead of Bryce Harper. Espinosa's previous career high is 21 HR in a season, but at this rate, he could pass that mark before the All-Star break.

Frazier went 2-for-4 with a double and triple Sunday against the A's.

The utilityman is making his mark, playing different positions for the Pirates while adding a spark with his speed. He has seven hits in 14 at-bats since his recall from Triple-A Indianapolis, including three stolen bases. Frazier isn't a speed merchant, but rather an aggressive baserunner. He batted .333 in 262 Triple-A at-bats and swiped 17 bases (in 32 attempts).

Tomlinson (thumb) will DH for High-A San Jose on Saturday and Sunday before joining Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, the San Jose Mercury News' Henry Schulman reports.

This maps out the next several days of Tomlinson's rehab assignment. He could return to the Giants prior to the All-Star break if everything goes smoothly. In the meantime, Grant Green and Ramiro Pena will handle the duties at the keystone.

Beckham (hamstring) could return to the Braves as early as Monday in Philadelphia, Kevin McAlpin of The Fan 680 reports.

In the next step of his rehab assignment, Beckham will play nine innings at shortstop Saturday with High-A Carolina. Once he's activated from the DL, he'll likely reprise his role as a part-time option, playing mostly against left-handed pitching for the Braves.

Green made his first start with the Giants after being called up prior to Thursday's game. He went 2-for-5 with a double in the 12-6 win over Oakland.

With Joe Panik (concussion) on the disabled list and Ramiro Pena (ankle) going down Wednesday, Green could be in line for regular playing time at the keystone this week. While he is no longer the prospect he was during his time in Oakland and Los Angeles, he has produced with Triple-A Sacramento this season, batting .294 with six homers and 33 RBI in 250 plate appearances.

Espinosa went 2-for-4 with two home runs, including a grand slam, and a career-high seven RBI in Thursday's hammering of the Reds.

Espinosa's second career slam put Washington up 8-1 in the third inning, and his next drive made it 13-1 in the fourth. He ranks second on the team with 15 homers despite usually batting eighth. The switch-hitting shortstop connected off Brandon Finnegan (3-7) batting right-handed, then went deep from the left side against Josh Smith. Espinosa's previous career high for RBI was six, and his only other grand slam came in his fifth major league game on Sept. 6, 2010. With a solid June, he's pushed his average up to .235, the highest its been since the fourth game of the season.

Green was recalled Thursday and will start at second base against the A's, Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Giants optioned reliever Chris Stratton in a corresponding move to add Green to the active roster Thursday. Green only managed to slash .190/.227/.262 at the big league level last season, but he's put together a respectable .294/.321/.437 slash line at Triple-A Sacramento this season. He'll bat seventh in the order Thursday against Dillon Overton.

Albies is headed back to Double-A Mississippi to play second base next to Dansby Swanson, MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports.

The Braves will finally let their prized middle infield duo of the future play next to each other, but instead of promoting Swanson to Triple-A, they will send Albies back down to a level he recently dominated. Albies had been playing second base recently at Triple-A, and he will stick at the keystone with Mississippi, so that can safely be regarded as his position of the future -- as long as he remains with the Braves. The duo should spend most of 2017 turning double plays at the big league level.