MLB Player News

Hamilton isn't in the Red Sox's lineup Saturday against Toronto, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Yusei Kikuchi is set to start on the mound Saturday for the Jays, so the lefty-hitting Hamilton will begin the game on the bench. Enrique Hernandez will take over at shortstop and bat seventh.

Neto (oblique) did not resume baseball activities Friday as previously expected, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Neto indicated early in the week that he is no longer experiencing pain or discomfort and said that he was planning to resume baseball activities Friday. However, that plan did not come to pass, and the Angels now hope that the rookie shortstop can instead get back to such activities Sunday or Monday. Manager Phil Nevin suggested that Neto's ramp-up should not take long, so there's still a chance he can return to action by the end of next week.

The Angels optioned Velazquez to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Velazquez was sent down to make room for Anthony Rendon, who was activated off the 10-day injured list. In 32 plate appearances with the Angels, Velazquez registered a .644 OPS with no homers and six stolen bases across 12 games.

Pena is out of the lineup Friday due to a stiff neck, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters that Pena simply had a "bad night of sleep" but probably won't be used off the bench in order to prevent the neck issue from getting any worse. Mauricio Dubon is covering shortstop and batting sixth in Friday's series opener versus the Rangers.

Pena is absent from the lineup for Friday's game versus the Rangers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It appears to be a routine day of rest for Pena, who will put a modest five-game hitting streak on hold. Mauricio Dubon is getting the start at shortstop.

Mateo is not in the starting lineup Friday against Minnesota, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Mateo will get a breather after he went 0-for-4 with a run scored and two walks during the team's series with Cincinnati. Gunnar Henderson will slide over to shortstop while Ramon Urias enters the lineup at third base and bats seventh in the series opener with the Twins.

Duran went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored in Thursday's 8-5 loss to Detroit.

Duran continued his recent surge at the plate, launching his 12th home run of the season in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 2-2 before adding a single in the ninth. It marked the 24-year-old's fifth consecutive multi-hit game and his third straight game with a home run. He's now hitting a very robust .367 (29-for-79) in June to go along with five homers, 11 RBI and 16 runs scored.

Seager is not in the lineup Thursday against the Tigers.

Josh Smith will start at shortstop and bat ninth as the Rangers wrap up their four-game series versus Detroit. Seager made an early exit from Wednesday's game, but this is all part of a designed plan to keep him healthy leading into the second half of the 2023 campaign. He boasts a .342/.394/.627 slash line in 175 plate appearances since returning May 17 from a severe left hamstring strain.

Duran went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and an additional RBI in Wednesday's victory over the Tigers.

Duran has multiple hits in four straight contests and eight of his last 10 starts. He's hit a home run in back-to-back games against the Tigers and collected eight extra-base hits, five RBI and eight runs during his 10-game hot streak. While he's been on another level recently, Duran has been a steady contributor all season for the Rangers, slashing .322/.364/.555 with 11 home runs, 33 RBI and 33 runs scored across 61 games (225 plate appearances). The 24-year-old can play infield or outfield, but he appears to have solidified himself as Texas' primary left fielder moving forward.

Volpe went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 11-0 win over the Athletics.

Volpe has found some success at the plate recently, going 6-for-11 over his last three games. His steal Wednesday was his 16th of the season but just his third in four attempts in June. The shortstop is up to a .208/.285/.374 slash line with 10 home runs, 28 RBI, 29 runs scored, 10 doubles and two triples through 80 contests. He continues to hold down a consistent spot in the bottom third of the order.