MLB Player News

Walls (back) is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.

As expected, Walls will miss a second straight game after being scratched from the Rays' lineup Tuesday due to tightness in the middle of his back. The hope is that he might be able to return to action in Thursday's series finale at Arizona. Vidal Brujan is covering second base and batting ninth Wednesday night at Chase Field.

Ramirez went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Royals.

Ramirez saw a six-game hitting streak end with an 0-for-4 effort Sunday. He hasn't gone hitless in consecutive contests since June 2-4. The third baseman is slashing an excellent .294/.360/.512 with 12 home runs, seven steals, 47 RBI, 46 runs scored, 20 doubles and four triples through 74 contests. Ramirez has logged two of his thefts in June, though he remains behind the pace that saw him swipe 20 bags in 2022.

Paredes went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored in Tuesday's 8-4 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Paredes had half of the Rays' hits in the contest. This was the infielder's third multi-hit effort over his last 11 games, a span in which he's gone 12-for-35 (.343) with five extra-base hits. For the season, he's been solid with a .267/.367/.492 slash line, 13 home runs, 50 RBI, 38 runs scored and 14 doubles through 72 contests. He remains on pace for a career year almost across the board, though he has yet to log a stolen base or a triple.

Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Athletics.

Donaldson accounted for the Yankees' offense against one of his former teams, but the rest of his teammates didn't do much. The third baseman was benched for three consecutive games versus the Rangers over the weekend, but he's expected to maintain a starting role at third base. He's hardly earned it with a .132/.200/.441 slash line, seven homers, nine RBI, 10 runs scored and no doubles through 75 plate appearances this season, though there's still clearly some power in his bat on the rare occasion he makes contact. Donaldson is also striking out at a 29.3 percent rate, his worst mark since a 14-game cup of coffee in 2010.

Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters after Tuesday's loss that Walls (back) won't return to the starting lineup Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Cash confirmed that Walls is day-to-day with the injury. The infielder was scheduled to hit seventh and play second base versus Arizona on Tuesday, but he was scratched from the lineup due to tightness in the middle of his back. With Walls out of the lineup, it's likely Isaac Paredes will get another start at second base in his absence.

Walls was scratched from the lineup on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks with tightness in the middle of his back, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Walls was originally scheduled to hit seventh against Zac Gallen and the D-Backs, but the back issue kept him from playing Tuesday. Isaac Paredes moved over to second base with Yandy Diaz playing third and Luke Raley playing first.

Moncada (back) was able to participate in defensive drills prior to Tuesday's game versus the Angels, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Merkin notes that hitting is more an issue than defense right now in terms of Moncada's back soreness, but it's still a positive sign to see the infielder taking part in drills. The 28-year-old has been out since the middle of June because of the injury, and he's not expected back until the start of July at the earliest.

Rendon (wrist) will take on-field batting practice Tuesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Rendon has been eased along in his recovery from a left wrist contusion, which sent him to the 10-day injured list June 19, retroactive to June 16. It's looking like he might be ready for activation in the early part of July, but the Angels have not announced an exact timetable.

The Angels activated Escobar from the restricted list Tuesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Escobar was excused from the team Monday to take -- and successfully pass -- his United States citizenship test. He is not in the Angels' starting lineup Tuesday night against the White Sox but should be available off the bench.

Jung is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Tigers.

This appears to be a planned night of physical and mental rest for Jung, who went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in Monday's loss to Detroit. Josh Smith will play third base and bat ninth for the Rangers on Tuesday.