MLB Player News

The Athletics optioned Alvarez to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old received his first big-league call-up June 22 and went on to appear in seven games with the Athletics prior to the All-Star break, batting .261 with a stolen base, six runs and one RBI. The utility player will get the chance to see more consistent playing time as he heads back to Las Vegas. The Athletics will announce a replacement for Alvarez on the 26-man active roster shortly before their next game Friday versus the Angels.

The White Sox optioned Sosa to Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Sosa had a stretch recently with five straight multi-hit games, but he finished the first half going just 2-for-22 across his last six contests and has managed just a .624 OPS on the season. Nick Senzel will take Sosa's spot on the roster and could also replace him as the White Sox's everyday third baseman.

The White Sox designated Mendick for assignment Wednesday.

Mendick will give up his spot on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster to third baseman Nick Senzel, whom the White Sox signed to a one-year contract Wednesday. While operating largely as a short-side platoon player in the infield for the White Sox this season, Mendick slashed .197/.243/.318 with three home runs and six stolen bases over 141 plate appearances.

Senzel agreed to a one-year, major-league contract with the White Sox on Tuesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Senzel spent most of the first half of the campaign with Washington, slashing .209/.303/.359 with seven home runs, 18 RBI, 25 runs and one stolen base before he was designated for assignment July 6 and later released. He played exclusively at third base with the Nationals but had previously spent the majority of his big-league time in the outfield.

Toro (hamstring) started at third base and played seven innings in the ACL Athletics' loss to the ACL Rangers on Monday, going 1-for-3.

It was a successful start to Toro's rehab assignment given he was able to play almost a full game on defense. The veteran is due to log several games in the minors before activation is considered, so a return immediately at the start of the second half of the season Friday may not be realistic.

The Athletics sent Toro (hamstring) to the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Monday to begin a rehab assignment.

Toro has been sidelined for nearly a month with a right hamstring strain but is finally ready for game action. He shouldn't require more than a few rehab games before returning to the Athletics' active roster. Prior to getting hurt, Toro was serving as Oakland's everyday third baseman and leadoff hitter.

The Brewers transferred Dunn (back) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Dunn hasn't played at any level since June 12, with his last appearance coming with the Brewers before he was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on June 19. The Brewers later revoked the transaction June 27, instead placing him on their 10-day injured list with a back strain. Though Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after Dunn's placement on the 10-day IL that the utility infielder would be sidelined for at least one month, the 26-year-old's move to the 60-day IL now indicates that Milwaukee is preparing for him to miss at least two months. In a corresponding move, Brewers selected the contract of outfielder Brewer Hicklen to take Dunn's spot on the 40-man roster.

Jung (wrist) said he took 15 swings with a regular bat off a tee Sunday, MLB.com reports.

According to Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News, Jung admitted that he's not certain of his next step, but the 26-year-old plans to continue swinging the bat over the All-Star break this week. If Jung incurs no setbacks with his surgically repaired right wrist while doing so, the Rangers could then map out a minor-league rehab assignment coming out of the break. Jung previously appeared in four rehab games in June and looked to be on the cusp of returning from the 60-day injured list before experiencing inflammation in his wrist and having his activation date pushed back.

Smith went 2-for-4 with two two-run home runs during Sunday's 4-2 win over the Astros.

As a team, the Rangers logged only three hits Sunday. Two of those came off Smith's bat, and each wound up in the stands for the 26-year-old's first career multi-homer game. During his last 11 games, Smith is batting 13-for-40 (.325) with three homers, seven runs scored, eight RBI and a stolen base.

Morel went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Cardinals.

Morel hit a two-run blast in the sixth inning and a solo shot in the eighth to pad the Cubs' lead in the contest. This was his first multi-hit effort since June 22, though he's hit safely in 10 of 12 games in July, batting .229 (11-for-48) for the month. Overall, Morel has 18 long balls, 50 RBI, 42 runs scored and seven stolen bases through 96 contests, though he's slashing a light .202/.303/.387 on the year.