MLB Player News

Lindor (calf) is expected to play a simulated game Monday, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The star shortstop played a full nine innings in the field Sunday in a rehab game with Triple-A Syracuse, going 0-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and a run. He'll pick up some more at-bats Monday, then is likely to get a day off before potentially being activated from the injured list Wednesday. Even if Lindor needs a little more time beyond Wednesday to recover, he's tracking toward a return to the big-league lineup this week. Through his first 105 plate appearances this season prior to straining his left calf April 22, Lindor had a .226/.314/.335 slash line with two home runs, two steals, five RBI and 14 runs.

Dubon went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Sunday's loss to the Brewers.

Getting the start in left field and hitting leadoff, Dubon accounted for nearly half of Atlanta's hits in a 9-4 loss. The veteran utility player has regularly hit atop the order against left-handed pitching while Ronald Acuna (hamstring) has been on the shelf in June, and over 16 games this month Dubon sports a .305/.349/.542 slash line with two doubles, four homers, one steal, eight runs and 13 RBI.

Abrams went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and an additional run scored in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Rays.

After doubling and coming around to score in the fourth inning, Abrams took Nick Martinez deep in his next plate appearance for his 17th homer of the season. The shortstop extended his home-run streak to three consecutive games. While Abrams is batting just .261 in June, he is slashing .286/.367/.534 with 15 doubles, two triples, 17 homers, 57 RBI, 51 runs scored and 12 stolen bases across 76 games this season.

Neto went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 9-7 win over the Athletics.

The Angels faced a 7-4 deficit after seven innings, but Neto's blast in the ninth gave them the lead. During the team's seven-game road trip, he went 7-for-29 (.241) with four homers and seven RBI. The shortstop continues to struggle to hit for average, but he's on a career-best pace in power. He's batting .225 with a .784 OPS, 17 homers, 39 RBI, 54 runs scored, 15 doubles, two triples and 11 stolen bases over 76 contests this season.

Gray is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Since Brooks Lee made the full-time shift over to third base in late May, Gray has occupied the strong side of a platoon at shortstop. However, his grip on that role may be loosening, as he'll cede the position to Ryan Kreidler for a second straight game while the Twins face off against right-hander Jose Cabrera. Gray has been stuck in an extended funk at the plate, going 3-for-24 with a 1:9 BB:K over his last eight games to bring his season-long slash line down to .241/.283/.361.

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

Tovar will be handed the afternoon off, ending a streak of six starts during which he went 5-for-22 (.227) with three runs and an RBI. With Tovar on the bench, Willi Castro will shift over to shortstop, opening up the keystone for Edouard Julien.

The Athletics optioned Williams to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday.

Williams has been productive through 14 games in June with six extra-base hits and a .343/.378/.571 slash line, but he'll still lose his roster spot. Joey Meneses was added to the big-league roster Sunday and is starting at designated hitter in the series finale versus the Angels.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that he expects Griffin (forearm) to play in minor-league rehab games by the end of the week, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Griffin has been rehabbing in Florida since landing on the shelf May 31 due to a right forearm strain, but he's expected to head north to Pittsburgh for an evaluation early this week before linking up with a minor-league affiliate. Throwing at full strength and velocity seems to be the biggest concern for Griffin as he works his way back from the injury, and the rookie phenom appears to be making progress on that front. Per MLB.com, Pirates manager Don Kelly said Saturday that Griffin has extended his throwing distance to 150 feet and was clocked at 89 mph while throwing from third base to first.

Seager (concussion) took part in defensive drills on the field prior to Sunday's game against the Padres, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Though he remains on the 7-day injured list, Seager's ability to take part in a pregame workout suggests he's progressing in his recovery from a mild concussion. Seager is slated to travel with the Rangers during their upcoming 10-game road swing, but it's unclear if he'll be able to clear the protocol and make his return from the IL at any point during that trip.

De La Cruz (hamstring) is expected to be reinstated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's game against the Brewers, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

After playing on three consecutive days for Triple-A Louisville during his rehab assignment over the weekend, De La Cruz will be given a chance to rest Monday as the Reds open their three-game set with the Brewers, but he looks like he'll be available for the final two contests of the series. De La Cruz's return will bump Matt McLain back over to second base, where he'll have to compete for playing time with Spencer Steer and rookie Edwin Arroyo.