MLB Player News

Seager (back) said that he completed a "higher-volume" live batting practice session Sunday and will repeat the activity again Monday before likely heading out on a rehab assignment, Matthew Postins of SI.com reports.

Seager received the equivalent of about four at-bats against live pitching Friday, but he said that he wants to take live BP on consecutive days before moving on to the final step in his recovery from lower back inflammation, which sent him to the injured list July 1. Assuming all goes well Monday, Seager will report to one of the Rangers' affiliates for game action. The veteran shortstop may need just one game on the farm before being cleared to return from the IL, perhaps as soon as Friday's series opener in Houston.

Swanson went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 8-7 loss to the Pirates.

Swanson tallied his second straight multi-hit performance, and he has four of them across his last six games. After a slow start to the season, the veteran shortstop is turning things around with a .286/.315/.486 slash line in 19 contests this month. Swanson is also approaching another 20-20 campaign with 16 home runs and 14 stolen bases, and his ability to hit for power and swipe bags has propped up his fantasy value even while his batting average languished.

Tovar is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

Tovar will hit the bench for the second time in four games while the Rockies go with Willi Castro at shortstop in the series finale in Milwaukee. Since matching a season high with three hits in a July 3 win over the Giants, Tovar has gone 5-for-46 (.109) with two extra-base hits, zero stolen bases, five runs and two RBI over a stretch of 15 games.

Bogaerts is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

Bogaerts will hit the bench for the first time since July 6 in what appears to be a routine day off. Sung-Mun Song will draw the start at shortstop in place of Bogaerts.

Velazquez will start at second base and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Tigers.

Since he was called up from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday after Bobby Witt (back) was placed on the injured list, Velazquez has started four of the Royals' ensuing five games. He'll be filling in Sunday at the keystone for Michael Massey, but Velazquez could end up being the preferred option at shortstop over Tyler Tolbert while Witt is on the mend. Velazquez has gone 1-for-9 with a stolen base through his first three contests with Kansas City.

Monasterio will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

Monasterio will head into Sunday's contest riding a seven-game hitting streak, during which he's gone 10-for-20 with seven extra-base hits to bring his season-long slash line up to .250/.301/.442. He'll be making his fourth straight start and appears to have supplanted Tsung-Che Cheng as the preferred option at shortstop, but Monasterio likely won't have a long leash as an everyday player. Boston is expected to get Trevor Story (sports hernia) back from the injured list at some point in August, and everyday third baseman Caleb Durbin will begin getting pregame work at shortstop as well in an effort to increase his versatility.

Cheng is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

Though he had been occupying the strong side of a platoon at shortstop with Andruw Monasterio since being called up from Triple-A Worcester on June 26, Cheng finds himself on the bench for a fourth straight matchup versus a right-hander. Monasterio appears to have at least temporarily settled into a near-everyday role at the expense of Cheng, who has produced a lowly .256/.318/.282 slash line through his first 44 plate appearances with Boston.

Montgomery is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros after fouling a pitch off his right shin late in Saturday's 4-1 loss.

The 24-year-old sat out Tuesday after fouling a pitch off the same shin Monday, and manager Will Venable said that Saturday's incident occurred just above the previous one, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Montgomery was able to finish his plate appearance Saturday but will miss at least one start due to the injury, though he's expected to return to action Monday versus the Yankees, per Merkin. Luisangel Acuna will start at shortstop in Sunday's series finale.

Adames went 1-for-4 with a double in Saturday's 9-2 win over the Angels.

Adames lined a double to left field in the second inning, marking his second two-bagger over the last three games. The veteran shortstop has recorded three doubles in July, during which he's batting just .197 with 13 RBI, 10 runs scored, four home runs and a stolen base in 74 plate appearances. He's now slashing .225/.276/.429 with 50 runs scored, 45 RBI, 18 long balls and two stolen bases across 416 plate appearances on the campaign.

Walls (fingers) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.

It's the fourth straight absence for Walls, who hyperextended the middle and ring fingers on his left hand during a slide into second base Wednesday. Tampa Bay has a team day off Monday, so the 30-year-old will have had nearly a week off to recover by the time Tuesday's series opener versus the Rangers rolls around. Ben Williamson is receiving another start at shortstop Sunday for the Rays.