MLB Player News

Royals infielder Pedro Ciriaco has cleared waivers and must decide by Sunday whether to accept an assignment to Triple-A Omaha, MLB.com reports.

Ciriaco, who was designated for assignment Monday, can choose to become a free agent. He hit .213/.229/.255 in 47 at-bats with the Royals but has posted a .794 OPS in 61 at-bats with Omaha.

Xander Bogaerts' starting rate has dropped from 86 to 40 percent in the last four weeks, which is fine. He's been in a debilitating slump since about the time the Red Sox moved him from shortstop to third base, batting .078 (6 for 77) in 21 games (going hitless in 15 of them), so you can understand why Fantasy owners would want to try their luck with someone else.

But what concerns me is how his ownership rate has dropped from 95 to 82 during that same time.

Granted, it's your team, and anything that prevents you from running it your way is not in the spirit of Fantasy Baseball ... so, you know, take whatever I have to say however you need to take it. But Bogaerts was as high-end as prospects get coming into the year and, less a month ago, was meeting expectatons and then some with a .299 batting average and .840 OPS. He's eligible at the two weakest positions in Fantasy and is as capable as anyone at either of elevating his game to the highest stratosphere in the second half.

I won't argue this slump has been really bad, almost unbelievably bad, but it's also been fairly short. When a player with his ability lives up to it 75 percent of the time, why focus on the 25 percent of the time he doesn't?

In spite of infielder Xander Bogaerts continued struggles at the plate, Red Sox manager John Farrell told MLB.com the team is not thinking about sending him down to the minors for some more seasoning.

"We haven't even considered that," Farrell said.

Bogaerts entered play Wednesday 0 for his last 19 and 2 for 42 since June 18. He is hitting .242/.322/.366 in 298 at-bats over 80 games during his rookie season. 

Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings has been diagnosed with a bruised shoulder, MLB.com reports.

Owings is on the disabled list retroactive to June 26 with the shoulder injury. He should return around the All-Star break if his rehab progresses well. Owings has hit .277/.313/.458 with six home runs, 21 RBI and seven stolen bases in 238 at-bats.

The Royals announced Monday outfielder Justin Maxwell and infielder Pedro Ciriaco were designated for assignment. Maxwell hit .150 in 20 games, while Ciriaco hit .213 in 25 games.

The Diamondbacks announced Sunday they promoted infielder Nick Ahmed from Triple-A Reno after placing shortstop Chris Owings on the disabled list due to a shoulder injury.

The 2011 second-round draft pick hit .324 with a .390 on-base percentage, .431 slugging percentage and .822 OPS in 79 games for Reno. He had two home runs, three triples, 20 doubles, 36 RBI, 40 runs and 10 stolen bases as well.

The Diamondbacks announced Sunday they placed shortstop Chris Owings on the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder strain. The move is retroactive to June 26.

Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings will not play until he can visit with team doctors in Arizona, as he continues to deal with a sore left shoulder.

Owings told MLB.com the shoulder has not responded to treatment, and he will sit out Sunday's series finale in San Diego. He will travel to Arizona to be examined by a doctor, putting his status for the series beginning in Pittsburgh Tuesday up in the air as well.

The injury has been bothered Owings for more than a week, as he thinks he suffered it June 20 against the Giants. He has not played since Wednesday, and the injury has not gotten better with time off.

"It's been feeling better, but just taking swings it just kind of aggravates it a little bit," Owings said. "It's just not responding. I'm not really sure what happened."

Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Padres.

Owings missed Friday's game while dealing with shoulder soreness, and he was unable to return to the lineup one day later. He remains day-to-day with the injury.

Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings was not in the starting lineup Friday against the Padres, due to a sore left shoulder.

Owings was announced as a starter with the first lineup, but was a late scratch as a result of the injury. The team announced he is day to day shortly after.