MLB Player News

Fletcher (hip) has gone 1-for-8 with a run scored through three rehab games with Triple-A Salt Lake.

Fletcher kicked off the rehab assignment Tuesday, and he's had an uneventful three games thus far. The good news is that the utility man, who underwent surgery to repair the adductor muscles in both legs May 10, was able to play three straight days without suffering any setbacks, starting twice at second base and once as the designated hitter. Fletcher is expected to be ready to return to the Angels on July 28.

Anderson went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored Friday against the Twins.

Anderson took Emilio Pagan yard in the fourth inning to record his sixth homer of the season. Entering the game, Anderson had failed to homer in 27 consecutive starts and has just a .109 ISO on the season. Despite the lack of power, Anderson has found other ways to be productive, particularly by hitting .313, scoring 42 runs and swiping 11 bags across 282 plate appearances for the campaign.

Chang went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored in Friday's 5-4 win against the Orioles.

Chang laced two RBI doubles in Friday's victory, one in the fourth inning and another in the sixth. In six appearances since being claimed off waivers by the Rays, the 26-year-old utility man has gone 6-for-16 (.375) with three RBI and six strikeouts. Through 75 plate appearances with Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Pittsburgh this season, Chang is slashing .191/.267/.279.

Crawford (finger) remains sidelined Friday against the Rangers, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Crawford was scratched Thursday due to a bruised right index finger and will sit for at least one more game. He hopes to return over the weekend, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports, but with just two days remaining before the All-Star break, it's possible he remains out of the lineup in order to give his finger a full week to heal. Dylan Moore starts at shortstop again Friday.

Smith will sit for the second straight game Friday against Seattle.

Smith has started just twice against a lefty this season, so it's no surprise to see him on the bench against a second consecutive lefty in Robbie Ray here. Charlie Culberson will get the start at third base.

Story (finger) isn't starting Friday's game against the Yankees, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Story will be out of the lineup for a third consecutive game as he continues to deal with a finger injury. Whether he's available off the bench remains to be seen, but Jeter Downs will start at the keystone and bat ninth Friday.

Berti was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left groin strain Friday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Berti was removed from Thursday's game against the Pirates with what was described as a mild groin strain, but the issue will still force him to spend time on the injured list. The 32-year-old won't be eligible to return until at least July 25, and it's possible that he'll see a slight decrease in playing time upon his return since Jorge Soler (pelvis) was reinstated from the IL on Friday.

Rojas (mouth) is starting at shortstop and batting eighth Friday against the Phillies, Joe Frisaro of ManOnSecondBaseball.com reports.

Rojas was removed from Thursday's contest versus the Pirates after he lost a tooth on a collision with Oneil Cruz in the ninth inning, but he'll be ready to go Friday after undergoing a dental procedure. The shortstop has produced a .262 average with four runs, an RBI and two stolen bases over 42 at-bats in July.

Smith, who was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on June 13, has produced a .208/.257/.228 slash line over his first 25 games with the Aviators.

Smith has alarmingly struck out at a higher clip (31.2 percent) with Las Vegas than he did with the Athletics (27.8 percent), and his batting average and OBP are only marginally better than the .180 and .216 figures he generated at the big-league level. The 26-year-old did post a .285 average and .931 OPS with Triple-A Buffalo in the Blue Jays organization last season, and he figures to remain at Las Vegas trying to iron out the kinks unless injuries necessitate a promotion.

Tovar (groin) won't be available for Saturday's All-Star Futures Game, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

The Rockies' top prospect remains on Double-A Hartford's 7-day injured list while he continues to recover from a groin injury that has kept him out of action since June 29. The organization is hoping the 20-year-old infielder will be ready to play again shortly after the All-Star break.