MLB Player News

Baez (back) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday.

Baez has been out since June 11 while dealing with lumbar inflammation, but he now appears to be on the cusp of returning to the major-league roster. The shortstop will likely play in multiple games with Toledo before being activated from the 10-day injured list. Baez has struggled to a .183/.209/.247 slash line with one home run, 25 RBI, 15 runs scored and six stolen bases over 53 games this season, not providing much value to fantasy managers.

The Athletics designated Diaz for assignment Tuesday.

Diaz has gone just 3-for-29 in 12 games with the A's this season, and his poor performance has now officially caused him to lose his 40-man roster spot. The 33-year-old owns just a .621 OPS over 32 plate appearances in the minors this season, making it likely he passes through waivers unclaimed. Brett Harris was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move.

McKinstry is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Twins.

McKinstry continues to split shortstop work with Ryan Kreidler in the wake of Javier Baez's (back) injury. McKinstry is 4-for-29 (.138) since June 11.

Seager (wrist) is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres.

The 30-year-old has had X-rays and an MRI come back negative since being struck in the left wrist by a pitch Saturday in Baltimore, but he'll still sit for the second straight game Tuesday. Josh Smith will receive another start at shortstop as Seager continues to heal up.

Hamilton is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game in Miami.

Hamilton has started to cool off at the plate a bit with just two hits in his last 18 at-bats. As a result, he's seen his playing time squeezed, as this is the third time he's been on the bench over the Red Sox' last five contests. Enmanuel Valdez and Ceddanne Rafaela will form the middle-infield combo for Boston on Tuesday.

Toronto recalled Jimenez from Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday.

Jimenez will join the 26-man roster for the first time in his career, filling Isiah Kiner-Falefa's (knee) vacated spot. Jimenez should mix in at second base and potentially third base while Kiner-Falefa is on the IL. Jimenez is slashing .271/.416/.431 with seven homers with Buffalo this season.

An MRI on Seager's left wrist has come back negative, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

X-rays had also previously came back clean, so Seager's return to the Rangers' lineup will be determined by how much discomfort and swelling he's dealing with. The shortstop was injured when he was struck by a pitch Saturday in Baltimore and didn't play Sunday's game, but he has managed to avoid a serious injury and should be considered day-to-day. Texas has a team off day Monday before starting a series at home against the Padres on Tuesday.

Crawford went 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in a loss to to the Twins on Sunday.

Crawford reached safely for the 10th straight game with his single, pushing his average to a solid .263 over that span. The stolen base was Crawford's fourth of the season, his highest total since the 2020 campaign. While the veteran shortstop's current stretch of hitting is easily his most productive of the season, Crawford is still sitting on a .215 average and .674 OPS across 61 games.

Neto went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer in Sunday's loss to Detroit.

Neto's home run was part of the Angels' five-run ninth inning, but the comeback attempt fell just short. It was his 11th long ball of the year and snapped a 10-game homerless drought. Neto posted a .780 OPS in June, bumping his season slash line to .249/.301/.437 with 30 extra-base hits and 38 RBI through 300 plate appearances.

Witt went 3-for-4 with a triple, one RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Guardians.

Witt had gone 10 games without a multi-hit effort before Sunday's performance. The shortstop closed the month 33-for-108 (.306) with 12 extra-base hits, 12 RBI, 14 runs scored and six stolen bases over 27 contests. Through 86 games this year, Witt is slashing .312/.363/.534 with 12 home runs, 22 stolen bases, 54 RBI, 65 runs, 22 doubles and nine triples. He's made modest gains in plate discipline with a 7.3 percent walk rate (up from 5.9 percent last year) and 16.7 percent strikeout rate (down from 17.4 percent) to sustain his elite production.