MLB Player News

The Rangers activated Seager (back) from the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Seager has been shelved since mid-May with lower-back inflammation, but he's been cleared to return to action after going 1-for-5 in a couple rehab games with Double-A Frisco. The shortstop had been in an offensive rut before getting hurt, going 0-for-25 over his last seven games. Seager will be back in the Rangers' lineup as they kick off a weekend series against the Guardians.

Arias (hamstring) started at shortstop and went 0-for-1 with a walk for Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.

Arias opened a rehab assignment with the Clippers and played five innings in the field before taking a seat for the final four frames. He's been out since early April, which suggests he'll use up most of the allotted 20 days for position players on a rehab assignment. Given the performances of Brayan Rocchio at shortstop and Travis Bazzana at second base, Arias may have to settle for a utility role once he's ready.

The Rangers are expected to activate Seager (back) from the injured list Friday prior to the series opener versus the Guardians, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Seager began a rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco on Tuesday, and he's ready to come off the IL after going 1-for-5 in two minor-league games. The shortstop hit the 10-day injured list May 18 due to lower-back inflammation and had some postponements in his recovery along the way. The Rangers are likely to send Cody Freeman and Alejandro Osuna down, opening up a spot for Seager and another player.

Hernaiz is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Cubs.

It's the second straight day out of the lineup after Hernaiz had started each of the previous seven tilts. Alika Williams will handle shortstop for the Athletics.

The Red Sox transferred Story (abdomen) to the 60-day injured list Thursday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Story underwent surgery two weeks ago to repair a sports hernia. He had seemed to have a chance to make it back before missing 60-plus days, but now Story is ineligible for activation until after the All-Star break. Marcelo Mayer will continue to serve as Boston's primary shortstop while Story recovers.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that Baez (ankle) has been shut down from baseball activities for an unspecified length of time, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Initially placed on the 10-day injured list April 29 due to a right high-ankle sprain, Baez hadn't progressed as quickly as the Tigers had hoped while conducting his rehab program at the team's facility in Florida. After meeting with an ankle specialist Monday, Baez was advised to put his rehab on hold and rest up for the time being. Once he eventually starts ramping up again, Baez is likely to require a minor-league rehab assignment before rejoining the Tigers, so he's still expected to be multiple weeks away from being activated.

Smith (glute/wrist/illness) took live batting practice Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

This marked the first batting practice session for Smith since landing on the injured list May 3 with the glute issue. Since then, the infielder has been bothered by wrist inflammation and a bout of viral meningitis that kept him away from baseball activity. Smith could begin a rehab assignment next week.

Witt went 1-for-4 with a run scored, a stolen base and a walk in Wednesday's 5-2 win over Cincinnati.

Witt wasn't a major factor with the bat in Kansas City's win, though he was able to swipe his 20th base of the season, making him one of four players in MLB to reach the mark this year. The shortstop has been particularly active on the bases of late, tallying five steals across the past four contests. It's been a stellar season for the young star, who's slashing .283/.356/.467 with 26 extra-base hits (nine home runs), 26 RBI, 31 runs and an MLB-best 3.7 fWAR among position players through 62 games.

Neto (neck) isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Wednesday will mark the Angels' third consecutive game without Neto in the starting nine while he battles whiplash. Manager Kurt Suzuki said the decision to sit him down was precautionary, per Bollinger, so it doesn't seem like the team is worried about the 25-year-old's injury leading to a stint on the IL. Oswald Peraza will pick up another start at shortstop; meanwhile, Neto will have a team off day to recover ahead of Friday's series opener versus the Dodgers.

Crawford went 3-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Wednesday's 7-1 loss to the Mets.

Crawford was responsible for three of the Mariners' six hits Wednesday and their lone run -- the shortstop led off the home half of the first inning with a 409-foot blast off Freddy Peralta for his 10th homer of the year and fourth in the last nine games. Crawford's boosted his slash line to .224/.351/.406 across 231 plate appearances with 30 runs scored and 23 RBI this season.