MLB Player News

Betts (hand) has been cleared to swing a bat, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Betts continues to take steps in the right direction after landing on the injured list June 17 due to a fractured left hand. If all goes well, he'll progress to hitting off a tee in the near future. Manager Dave Roberts noted that Betts is still "some time away" from a return, but he's pleased with the progress the 31-year-old superstar has made, per Juan Toribio of MLB.com.

Correa (heel) was wearing a walking boot in the clubhouse before Monday's game against the Phillies, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Correa was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to right plantar fasciitis, and he noted that he'll be in the walking boot for at least a few more days. The shortstop also said he wasn't sure he'll begin baseball activities immediately after shedding the boot, but he's hoping he won't miss more than another week or two. An updated timeline for Correa's return could be provided by the Twins later in the week.

Tovar will start at shortstop and bat second in Monday's game against the Red Sox.

Tovar was held out of the lineup Sunday in what was believed to be a routine rest day, but Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com relays that the shortstop has been dealing with flu-like symptoms. Though Tovar isn't yet feeling 100 percent, he showed enough improvement overnight to re-enter the starting nine for the series opener with the Red Sox.

Rojas (forearm) is not in the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the Giants, Kirsten Watson of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

As expected, Rojas will be absent from Monday's lineup after he left in the third inning of Sunday's 9-6 win over the Red Sox due to right forearm tightness. Enrique Hernandez will start at shortstop and bat ninth against Giants southpaw Blake Snell. Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts also said he'll likely stay away from Rojas again Tuesday, in the hopes the shortstop will be cleared to return Wednesday, per Watson.

Hamilton is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rockies.

After stealing a pair of bases in Sunday's 9-6 loss to the Dodgers to bring his total to 25 on the season, Hamilton will get a chance to rest his legs in the series opener in Colorado. Jamie Westbrook will enter the lineup in Hamilton's stead, batting ninth while manning second base.

Volpe went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's win against the Rays.

Volpe took Rays starter Zack Littell deep in the second inning to record his seventh home run of the season. Volpe has come out of the All-Star break hot, batting 6-for-14 (.429) with three extra-base hits and four RBI in four games. The 23-year-old has had an up-and-down sophomore season, compiling a .251 batting average with seven home runs, 36 RBI, 63 runs scored and 17 steals in 101 games played.

The Astros optioned Kessinger to Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday.

Kessinger was moved off the 26-man active roster in favor of Aledmys Diaz, whose contract was selected ahead of Monday's game against the Athletics. After being called up from Sugar Land on July 2, Kessinger appeared in just four games and went hitless over four at-bats. He had been slashing .283/.356/.387 over 118 plate appearances with Sugar Land prior to his promotion.

The Astros selected Diaz's contract Monday.

Diaz joined the Astros on a minor-league contract July 13 after being released by the Athletics one week prior. He'll be starting up his second stint in the big leagues with Houston, after previously appearing in 262 contests between 2019 and 2022. Before Oakland cut him loose, the 33-year-old utility man logged 30 plate appearances in the big leagues this season, slashing .103/.133/.103 with no extra-base hits.

Perdomo is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Royals.

After going hitless in the final two games of the Diamondbacks' series against the Cubs this past weekend, Perdomo will get a breather as Arizona's road trip moves to Kansas City. Kevin Newman will step in for Perdomo at shortstop and will bat eighth.

The Mariners optioned Bliss to Triple-A Tacoma on Monday.

Bliss received his first MLB call-up May 27 and picked up 16 starts at second base in June, but playing time has been more difficult to come by in recent weeks. After Jorge Polanco returned from the injured list June 24 and took back everyday duties at the keystone, Bliss started just two of the Mariners' ensuing 21 games and went 0-for-10 with six strikeouts over that stretch. He'll get the opportunity to play on a more frequent basis with Tacoma.