MLB Player News

Angels manager Phil Nevin said Wednesday that Neto (back) will remain on his rehab assignment at Triple-A Salt Lake through Saturday before being re-evaluated, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Neto could be activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Sunday's series finale versus the Guardians if the Angels' training staff is satisfied with his health upon re-evaluating him, but it's more likely that the shortstop returns to the Anaheim lineup early next week. The 22-year-old has gone 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a walk through the first two games of his rehab assignment and will have off Thursday before returning to the Salt Lake lineup Friday and Saturday. Once activated, Neto should take back the reins as the Halos' everyday shortstop while rookie Kyren Paris fades into more a utility role or gets optioned back to Triple-A.

Brito is slashing .280/.369/.450 with nine home runs, three steals and a 17.8 percent strikeout rate in 78 games with Double-A Akron.

Brito, who turns 22 later this month, has made 44 starts at second base, 24 starts at third base and eight starts at shortstop with the RubberDucks. Unlike many other recent Guardians middle infielders, Brito projects to bring more value with his bat than his glove. He is already on the 40-man roster and should make his big-league debut next season.

Crawford went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in a win over the Reds on Wednesday.

Crawford came through with the Mariners' most impactful hit of the game, slugging a 382-foot shot to right with Ty France and Josh Rojas aboard in the fourth inning to extend Seattle's lead to 6-1. The homer was Crawford's fifth in the last 12 games, an atypical power surge that has pushed his career-high total in that category to 15. Moreover, all three components of Crawford's .271/.389/.437 slash line are also career-best figures by wide margins.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in a win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday.

Just recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, the 27-year-old paid immediate dividends via a 398-foot shot to left center in the sixth inning with Jordan Diaz and Carlos Perez aboard. Smith had been running hot at the plate for the Aviators during his just-concluded 19-game stint on the farm, slashing .351/.392/.635 with nine extra-base hits and 20 RBI. However, Smith has raked in the hitter-friendly environment of the PCL before and then sputtered against big-league arms, so Wednesday's breakout represented a particularly encouraging start to his latest stay with the Athletics.

Anderson was scratched from the lineup Wednesday versus the Royals due to neck stiffness, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Elvis Andrus will replace him at both shortstop and leadoff as the White Sox wrap up their three-game series against Kansas City. Anderson also battled some neck discomfort in mid-August but it cost him only two games. Perhaps he can utilize Thursday's scheduled team off day to avoid another multi-game absence.

Duran is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Astros.

The 24-year-old has operated as Texas' primary third baseman for most of the last few weeks with Josh Jung (thumb) sidelined, but Duran has a .369 OPS in 32 at-bats since Aug. 25 and will sit Wednesday for the third time in the past four games. Josh Smith will receive another start at the hot corner and bat eighth.

Baez is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.

Baez missed some time last week due to general soreness and is sitting Wednesday for the second time in four games since he rejoined the lineup Saturday. Zack Short will receive another start at shortstop in the veteran's place.

Jimenez was promoted to Triple-A Buffalo on Aug. 29 after slashing .287/.372/.436 with eight home runs, eight steals and a 15.9 percent strikeout rate in 76 games for Double-A New Hampshire.

He is hitting .214 with no extra-base hits in five games since the promotion, but this has been a very successful year for Jimenez on the whole. The 22-year-old Panamanian middle infielder was added to the 40-man roster as Rule 5 draft protection back in 2021, but it wasn't until this year that he started hitting the ball with enough authority to potentially profile as more than a utility player.

Correa went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run and an RBI in Tuesday's 8-3 win over the Guardians. He also reached base when he was struck by a pitch for the fourth time this season.

Though Correa acknowledged toward the end of August that he has continued to battle plantar fasciitis in his left foot, he hasn't seemed to be affected at the plate of late. He'll head into Wednesday's series finale in Cleveland riding a five-game hitting streak, during which he's slashed .429/.478/.571 with one home run, five RBI and four runs. Correa will start at shortstop and bat fifth Wednesday.

Mateo went 1-for-3 with one run scored and one steal in Tuesday's 5-4 victory over the Angels.

Mateo found himself in Tuesday's lineup against southpaw Reid Detmers and registered his 27th stolen base of 2023 after tagging Detmers for a single in the third inning. Though Mateo has almost exclusively played against left-handed pitching of late, he's enjoying a productive stretch, batting 7-for-22 (.318) with a homer and a pair of steals over his last seven games.