MLB Player News

Rendon (hamstring) said Wednesday that he's "definitely close" and is still deciding whether to go out on a rehab assignment, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

A rehab assignment would be sensible, considering he's missed two months of action with a high-grade partial tear of his left hamstring. Rendon said that he's open to the possibility of playing rehab games before coming off the 60-day injured list, though the Angels can't force him to do so. Either way, the veteran third baseman should be clear to play in games soon if he's able to sprint on consecutive days without issue.

The Rangers optioned Duran to Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday.

Duran had a nice first full season with the Rangers in 2023, slashing .276/.324/.443 with 14 home runs and eight stolen bases. His follow-up in 2024 hasn't been as successful, as he sports just a .256/.294/.324 line with two home runs and one steal over 58 contests. Duran could still play a prominent role with the Rangers later this season, but for now he'll try to get back on track in a less-pressurized environment.

Jung (wrist) said Wednesday that he expects to resume swinging a bat in a few days, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Jung was examined Tuesday in Phoenix by the doctor who performed his right wrist surgery back in early April. While the third baseman has had his activation from the 60-day injured list pushed back a bit due to inflammation in the wrist, he's been told that his wrist is sound structurally. Jung's return has effectively been ruled out through the weekend, but it's possible he'll rejoin the Texas lineup shortly after that. More should be known regarding a potential target date for his return in the coming days.

Alexander is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

After being called up from Triple-A Omaha on Monday, Alexander started at third base in the first two games of the Royals' series with the Marlins, going 0-for-6 with a pair of strikeouts. He'll take a seat Wednesday while Nick Loftin occupies third base, and it's possible the two could be part of a timeshare at the hot corner until Michael Massey is cleared to play the infield again after he served as Kansas City's designated hitter in his first two games back from the injured list.

Reds manager David Bell said Wednesday that Candelario is dealing with knee tendinitis that is "progressively not getting better" and "maybe a bit worse," Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Candelario -- who is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Pirates -- was removed from a game last week with the knee issue, and it has continued to nag at him. Bell noted that Candelario is still able to play but added that the infielder will be re-evaluated later Wednesday as the club decides how to best handle the situation. With Noelvi Marte looking likely to return from an 80-game suspension Thursday to provide the club another option at third base, it's possible the Reds will choose to put Candelario on the injured list if they determine his knee would improve with some extended rest.

Candelario is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Candelario will get a routine day off after he had been in the lineup for each of the previous five contests. Spencer Steer and Santiago Espinal will occupy the corner-infield spots for the Reds on Wednesday.

Arenado (forearm) will start at third base and bat sixth in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus Atlanta.

Arenado had been set to return Tuesday from a left forearm injury before that game was rained out, but he'll remain in the lineup for the makeup game. The sixth spot in the batting order represents the lowest that Arenado has slotted in his four seasons with the Cardinals. He's slashing just .257/.315/.371 on the season and hasn't hit a home run since June 5.

The Reds announced Wednesday that Marte (suspension) has rejoined the team after completing his rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville.

Marte won't be eligible to return from his 80-game suspension until Thursday's series opener in St. Louis, but since he's back in Cincinnati rather than sticking around in Louisville, the Reds are presumably preparing to add him back to the 26-man active roster ahead of their four-game series this weekend. The 22-year-old struggled to regain his timing at the plate during the rehab assignment, slashing .151/.151/.170 with no walks and a 28.3-percent strikeout rate over 12 games. However, after Marte posted an .822 OPS in 123 plate appearances in his first taste of the big leagues in 2023, the Reds look as though they'll allow him to iron out the kinks in the majors. He's seen action at third base, second base and shortstop during his rehab assignment and may have to settle for more of a utility role with the Reds initially until he performs well enough to warrant everyday playing time.

Noel is slashing .402/.471/.705 with nine home runs and a 14.5-percent strikeout rate in his last 30 games for Triple-A Columbus.

With Kyle Manzardo failing to take a big-league job and run with it and Noel already being on the 40-man roster, Noel could get a shot as Cleveland's designated hitter sometime this summer. The righty-hitting slugger has huge raw power, and while he has seen 25 starts in the corner outfield spots this season, he's probably too big (6-foot-3, 250 pounds) to get regular starts in the outfield at the highest level.

Urshela is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

He'll take a seat for the day game after a night game, paving the way for Matt Vierling to pick up a start at third base. Urshela had been included in the Detroit lineup in each of the last nine games, going just 4-for-34 at the plate to bring his batting average down to .253 for the season.