MLB Player News

Moustakas went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's 8-5 win over the Pirates.

Moustakas put the Angels ahead with his fourth-inning blast, and they held the lead the rest of the way. The infielder has found a bit of consistency, hitting safely in seven of his last eight games. He's gone just 8-for-33 (.242) in that span, but four of those hits have been homers. For the season, he's up to nine long balls, 28 RBI, 29 runs scored and a .254/.335/.446 slash line through 64 contests.

Lewis (oblique) began playing catch last weekend and took swings Friday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

The Twins are aiming for a mid-August return for Lewis, who suffered a Grade 2 left oblique strain July 1. He'll likely need another week or so of workouts before being considered for a rehab assignment.

Anderson (back) took grounders Friday and is nearing being able to swing a bat, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Anderson was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a back strain, but he's started to slowly ramp up his activities. Manager Craig Counsell said Friday that he doesn't expect Anderson to return before the team's next road trip, which starts July 28 in Atlanta.

Rendon (shin) had yet to resume on-field workouts as of Friday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

There have been very few status updates on Rendon since he landed on the injured list July 14 due to a left shin contusion that he suffered the week before the All-Star break. The 33-year-old has appeared in only 43 games for the Angels this season and is slashing just .236/.361/.318 when healthy.

Longoria is not in the lineup Friday against the Reds.

Emmanuel Rivera will make another start at third base, his fifth start there in the Diamondbacks' last six games. Longoria is in a 2-for-19 (.105) rut since the beginning of July.

Escobar is absent from the lineup Friday against the Pirates.

Luis Rengifo will handle second base and Mike Moustakas is playing third versus the Pirates and right-hander Johan Oviedo. Escobar has slashed just .250/.283/.286 in 16 games (60 plate appearances) since the Angels acquired him from the Mets in late June.

Davis (illness) feels much better and is in Friday's lineup against the Nationals, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

He was held out of the last two games due to a stomach bug, but Davis is ready for a weekend in Washington. Davis is hitting .191 with one home run and 15 strikeouts in 13 games this month, and he has a .268/.348/.431 slash line on the season.

Senzel is starting in center field and batting second Friday versus the Diamondbacks.

With left-hander Tommy Henry on the hill for Arizona, Senzel is starting over TJ Friedl and also occupying a key spot in the batting order. Senzel's sporting a .993 OPS versus left-handed pitching this season.

Riley went 2-for-4 with a home run, a triple, three RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's 7-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

Riley led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a triple before coming around to score on a Matt Olson home run in the next at-bat. But the third baseman wasn't done there, launching a three-run homer in the very next inning to put Atlanta on top 6-5. Riley is riding a nice hot streak at the plate and he's now homered in three consecutive games, driving in 11 runs over that stretch.

Rivera went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's 7-5 loss to Atlanta.

Rivera's blast was the second of back-to-back homers in the seventh inning that turned a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 lead before the bullpen let it slip away. The home run was the second in as many starts for Rivera, who had entered the All-Star break in a slump but is 4-for-13 with three extra-base hits to begin the second half. He continues to have an edge in playing time at third base over Evan Longoria.