MLB Player News

Barger (ankles) resumed baseball activity at the Blue Jays' complex in Florida this week and is expected to begin swinging the bat Friday or Saturday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Barger has played catch the last two days, and returning to hitting and running are the next steps in his recovery from sprained left and right ankles. Barger is expected to resume running Tuesday or Wednesday of next week and will go from there. While eligible to come off the injured list Friday, that doesn't appear to be a realistic target for Barger. Perhaps he'll be back with the Blue Jays for the start of their next homestand against the Guardians on Friday, April 24.

Montgomery is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays.

Montgomery wore the golden sombrero in Wednesday's loss to the Rays and sports a 33.8 percent strikeout rate on the season, so he'll take a day Thursday to regroup. Tanner Murray is at shortstop and batting sixth as the White Sox try to avoid being swept.

Turner went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 11-2 loss to the Cubs.

Turner wasted no time getting Philadelphia on the board, crushing a 423-foot solo homer off Shota Imanaga on the second pitch of the game. It was his second home run of the season and extended his strong stretch at the plate. Turner has now recorded a hit in 14 of his last 15 games, batting .283 with seven RBI and 10 runs scored across 64 plate appearances during that span.

De La Cruz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Giants.

De La Cruz continued his recent surge, taking Tyler Mahle deep for a 442-foot solo shot in the fourth inning for his sixth home run of the season. It was also the 24-year-old's third homer in his last five games, a stretch in which he's gone 8-for-19 with five RBI. The dynamic shortstop appears to be settling into a groove at the plate after a somewhat uneven start.

Bogaerts went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Mariners.

Bogaerts got the Padres on the board with his blast off Emerson Hancock in the sixth inning. The shortstop has hit safely in eight of the last nine games, and five of his efforts in that span have included multiple hits. He's also clubbed all three of his homers this season during that hot stretch. Bogaerts is batting .284 with a .790 OPS, 13 RBI, five runs scored, two doubles and two stolen bases over 17 contests.

Seager went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, a walk and a second run scored in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Athletics.

Seager has just three hits over his last eight games (3-for-27), but all of those knocks have gone for extra bases. He's also drawn a walk in six of those contests, but he's added 10 strikeouts in that span. The contact has been good for the shortstop when he connects, but he's struggling with the second part of that equation. He's batting .203 with a .774 OPS, five homers, 12 RBI, 12 runs scored, a double and one stolen base over 18 contests.

Wilson went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Rangers.

Wilson's seventh-inning homer was his first of the year, and it was a crucial one. He gave the Athletics their last runs of the game, which would ultimately be needed when the Rangers got three runs back in the eighth. The shortstop is off to a modest start to the season, hitting .254 with a .602 OPS, seven RBI, six runs scored, three doubles and no stolen bases over 17 contests. He had 13 long balls over 125 games and hit .311 with a .799 OPS in 2025, though power is never likely to be his calling card.

Antonacci went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored Wednesday against the Rays.

Antonacci had his contract selected Wednesday and hit fifth in the White Sox's order while playing second base. He led off the second inning with a single to record his first big-league hit, and he similarly began the ninth inning with a walk to begin a rally. Antonacci should remain a consistent presence in lineup, though he'll primarily play in left field.

Shaw went 3-for-4 with three doubles, two runs scored and three RBI in Wednesday's 11-2 win over the Phillies.

Shaw got into a nice groove Wednesday as he delivered his first three-hit effort of the season and doubled his extra-base hit total. The 24-year-old also raised his batting average from .200 to .245 in the process. Shaw has seen his playing time trend down with Seiya Suzuki back from the injured list, though the former can still provide some fantasy value from a super-utility role due to his ability to hit for power and swipe a base.

Swanson went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and two total RBI in Wednesday's 11-2 win over the Phillies.

Swanson appears to be heating up, as he now has three home runs across his last four games. The shortstop's batting average is still sitting at just .200, but his recent surge suggests that figure will continue to climb. Swanson has also yet to sit out a game this season, and his consistent playing time should offer him plenty of opportunities to keep racking up counting stats while he's locked in at the plate.