MLB Player News

Emerson (wrist) went 1-for-4 with a double, two walks and one run scored Sunday against Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Emerson had been slowed by a wrist injury suffered earlier in the month, but he managed to return to the starting lineup for Triple-A Tacoma on Friday and has played in three consecutive games. The untimely wrist injury may have prevented him from being promoted to the big-league club after Brendan Donovan (groin) hit the 10-day injured list. However, now that Emerson has returned to health, a call to the major leagues could be on the horizon.

Cruz was scratched from the Pirates' starting lineup against the Cardinals on Monday due to an illness.

Cruz evidently fell ill prior to Monday's game, which prompted the Pirates to replace him with Jake Mangum in center field and shift Spencer Horwitz to the leadoff spot in the batting order. Cruz will continue to receive treatment in the hopes of being cleared to return for Tuesday's contest against St. Louis.

The Yankees have yet to decide whether Volpe (shoulder) will be activated from the 10-day injured list for their series this weekend against the Orioles, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.

Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reported Sunday that Volpe would rejoin the Yankees this week, and while that could still happen, the decision has yet to be made. Volpe is slashing .308/.333/.423 with one home run, two stolen bases and a 1:7 BB:K in his first eight rehab games. He's currently at Double-A Somerset and will continue his rehab with the affiliate until the Yankees choose when to activate him.

Cruz (undisclosed) has been scratched from Monday's lineup against the Cardinals.

It's unclear why Cruz was removed, but he has been replaced by Jake Mangum in center field. The Pirates should have an update on Cruz's status during or shortly after Monday's contest.

Duran will start at second base and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Yankees.

Though he looked to be a candidate to move into a full-time role after Wyatt Langford (forearm) was placed on the injured list Wednesday, Duran has started in just one of the Rangers' ensuing three matchups versus right-handed pitching. Duran will be back in the lineup Monday while southpaw Max Fried takes the hill for New York, but the Rangers appear set to prioritize the left-handed-hitting Alejandro Osuna over him in the corner outfield when the team faces righties.

Smith is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees.

Texas will send the left-handed-hitting Smith to the bench while southpaw Max Fried toes the rubber for New York in the series opener. Ezequiel Duran will cover second base in Smith's absence.

Brito is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rays.

After making six consecutive starts following his call-up from Triple-A Columbus on April 7, Brito has now been included in the lineup in eight of the Guardians' ensuing 13 contests. Brito -- who has mustered a lowly .505 OPS over his first 56 plate appearances in the big leagues -- looks like he may have to settle for a part-time role in the middle infield even while the Guardians remain without Gabriel Arias (hamstring).

DeJong informed the Yankees on Monday that he will opt out of his minor-league contract at the end of April if he's not promoted to the majors, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

DeJong has posted a .900 OPS with six home runs over 22 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. However, with Anthony Volpe (shoulder) poised for activation from the injured list this week, the Yankees may have a tough time squeezing DeJong onto the big-league roster.

Volpe (shoulder) is expected to rejoin the Yankees between Wednesday and Thursday and could be activated from the 10-day injured list, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

Volpe is eight games into a rehab stint that has been split between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 24-year-old has looked good so far, slashing .308/.333/.423 with a home run, three RBI and two stolen bases, though he's also posted a 1:7 BB:K. Per Romero, Volpe is expected to play a couple more games with Somerset before making his long-awaited return to the big-league club around the middle of the week. The Yankees have an early game Wednesday and are off Thursday, so the club could wait until Friday's series opener in Baltimore before formally activating Volpe. Whenever he's cleared to make his season debut for the Yankees, Volpe is likely to start regularly at shortstop, which would result in Jose Caballero shifting into more of a utility role.

Neto went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a walk, two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 11-9 extra-inning loss to the Royals.

This was Neto's first multi-hit effort over his last eight games. The shortstop has gone 7-for-30 (.233) in that span, though he has added four doubles, four RBI and three stolen bases. For the season, he's batting .243 with an .803 OPS, five home runs, eight doubles, four steals, 14 RBI and 21 runs scored across 29 contests. Neto has also drawn 20 walks so far, which has helped him function effectively as a leadoff hitter.