MLB Player News

Chapman (knee) will start his rehab assignment for High-A Stockton on Saturday and could rejoin the A's by Monday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Chapman will make at least two rehab appearances, with back-to-back games Saturday and Sunday. Barring any setbacks, he could return to the big-league team Monday for the series against the White Sox. The team may choose to give Chapman more time as he recovers from a knee infection, but he's progressed well and appears ready for the next step after resuming baseball activities Friday.

Candelario (knee), who is not in Saturday's lineup, is unlikely to see much playing time for the foreseeable future with Kris Bryant (ankle) returning to action.

While Candelario may still be nursing a sore knee, the big news is that Bryant is back manning the hot corner, relegating Candelario to a bench role going forward. He may be optioned to Triple-A in the near future so that he can continue to get regular at-bats.

Chapman (knee) fielded grounders and took swings during batting practice on Friday afternoon, Alex Simon of MLB.com reports. "I'm feeling back to normal," Chapman said. "It's good to be back out on the field and see my teammates again. Seems to be coming along nicely. We're taking all the right steps to get me back on the field as soon as possible, but making sure that it's right."

Chapman will repeat the ritual prior to Saturday's game, and assuming all goes well once more, he's likely to be sent down to the minors for a brief rehab assignment. The promising rookie has been sidelined since June 19 with cellulitis in his left knee, a condition that required four days of antibiotic IV treatment in the hospital.

LeMahieu (groin) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Diamondbacks, MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports.

LeMahieu must still be dealing with a sore groin that caused him to exit Tuesday's game and miss the following day's series finale against San Francisco. In his place, Pat Valaika will man the keystone and bat sixth in the order. LeMahieu should still be considered day-to-day and could return for the second game of the series Saturday.

Candelario (knee) is not in the lineup Friday against the Reds.

Candelario exited Thursday's contest after he was hit by a pitch in the ninth inning. Subsequent X-Rays on his knee came back negative, but it appears the Cubs will give him a day to recover anyway. With Kris Bryant (ankle) also getting the day off, Javier Baez will take over at the hot corner for just the fourth time this season.

Rendon went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's loss to the Cubs.

He very nearly got to play hero, as Rendon's seventh-inning shot gave the Nats a lead their bullpen would blow in the ninth. The third baseman now has 16 homers on the season and has been nearly unstoppable in the second half of June, slashing .395/.509/.837 with five homers, 11 RBI and 13 runs in his last 13 games.

Devers (knee) is back in action at Double-A Portland.

He hit two home runs Wednesday and notched another two hits Thursday, so he appears to be fully healthy after briefly missing time with a sore knee. The 20-year-old third baseman is now hitting .298/.359/.576 with a career-high 16 home runs and an outstanding 18.5 percent strikeout rate in 281 plate appearances. While Devers is still at Double-A, the Red Sox under president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski have made a habit of having their top hitting prospects skip Triple-A and head straight to the majors -- Andrew Benintendi and Yoan Moncada are the two most recent examples. If Devers continues to swing a hot bat, he could be manning the hot corner for Boston in late July or early August.

X-rays came back negative on Candelario's left knee Thursday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago reports.

Candelario looked to be in considerable pain as he left Thursday's game after being hit by a pitch on his left knee. Fortunately, the X-rays revealed a bruise in the area instead of any more serious damage. Still, it remains to be seen whether he'll be able to play Friday with a quick turnaround. If Kris Bryant (ankle) is also unavailable, Tommy La Stella would be the likely candidate to start at third base against the Reds.

Candelario was sent in for X-rays on his left knee after Thursday's win over the Nationals, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

He was able to finish out the half inning after being hit on the knee by a pitch, but manager Joe Maddon took him out of the game when the Cubs took the field in the ninth inning. The results have yet to be released, so Candelario owners will have to take a wait-and-see approach with him heading into Friday. With Kris Bryant nursing an ankle injury, the Cubs are suddenly thin at third base. Tommy La Stella would be the likely fill-in candidate at the hot corner if both Candelario and Bryant are unavailable for Friday's series opener against the Reds.

Longoria went 2-for-5 with an RBI double and another two-bagger in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Pirates.

The slugging third baseman now has hits in six straight, a span that includes five extra-base hits (three doubles, two homers). Longoria has also racked up a season-high 18 RBI in June, half of which have come in the last five games.