MLB Player News

Neto (oblique) is starting at shortstop and leading off Friday against the Astros, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

Neto ends up missing exactly a month with an oblique strain. He hit .355 with three home runs and two steals in 12 June games, and the fact he is back atop the lineup is a good sign for his fantasy value.

Crawford (hamstring) is starting at shortstop and batting ninth in his return to the lineup Friday in Pittsburgh, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Crawford missed the final game of the first half with a tight left hamstring, but he's feeling well enough to play after resting over the All-Star break. He and his Giants teammates are going up against southpaw Rich Hill.

Reyes (abdomen) will remain on his rehab assignment with Double-A Portland through the weekend, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The expectation had seemed to be that Reyes would be activated for the start of the second half, but the Red Sox have opted to give him a few more rehab games. Presumably, he'll be back early next week. Reyes is working his way back from an abdominal strain, and he figures to rejoin the shortstop mix upon his return.

Barger is hitting .222 with three doubles, four walks and six strikeouts in six games since returning from an elbow injury for Triple-A Buffalo.

Barger has been limited to 32 Triple-A games this season due to that elbow injury, and he has not produced when he has been in the lineup for the Bisons. He is slashing .226/.329/.331 with two home runs and one steal in 143 plate appearances, as his development seems to have stalled for the moment.

Luciano is slashing .317/.430/.610 over his last 100 plate appearances for Double-A Richmond with six doubles, six home runs and three stolen bases.

The 21-year-old had a rough start to the season after recovering from back trouble, but Luciano has been locked in over the last month. Strikeouts remain an issue for him, as he sports a 30 percent K-rate over that stretch, but that's balanced by a 17 percent walk rate. As long as Luciano can stay healthy, a second-half promotion to Triple-A should be in the cards, and potentially even a big-league debut before the 2023 campaign is over.

The Diamondbacks promoted Bliss to Triple-A Reno on Thursday, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.

Bliss dominated in Double-A to begin 2023, slashing .358/.414/.594 with 12 homers and 47 RBI across 324 plate appearances while also stealing 30 bases. The 23-year-old infielder figures to close the season in Triple-A, but promotion to the majors in 2024 will certainly be on the table if he continues to shine.

Watson has a .673 OPS and a 30.3 percent strikeout rate over his last 20 games for High-A Beloit.

Watson, who had a memorable play when he stole home to tie a game in the bottom of the ninth inning earlier this month, left a game July 6 after one at-bat and has not played since. No injury has been reported, but it's possible he is dealing with a minor injury or is just getting a chance to clear his head.

Winn has a .329/.385/.543 slash line with three home runs, two steals and an 11.5 percent strikeout rate in his last 70 at-bats with Triple-A Memphis.

He is still well below the International League average on the season (86 wRC+), but Winn is eight months younger than the next-youngest qualified hitter in the league (Jhonkensy Noel) and four months younger than the next-youngest qualified hitter at Triple-A (Tyler Soderstrom). Winn doesn't turn 22 until spring training of next year, and he projects as the Cardinals' shortstop of the future.

Abrams went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's win over the Rangers.

The young shortstop has swiped five bags over the last four games without being caught, giving him 14 steals on the season in 16 attempts. Abrams' bat has also picked up the pace in July, as he's gone 11-for-30 (.367) to begin the month with two doubles and a triple. The 22-year-old has hit leadoff in three straight contests for the Nats, and he could be poised for a big second half.

Pintar (ankle) began a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Saturday and went 0-for-1 with two walks and a run in his return to the lineup.

Pintar served as the designated hitter and logged three appearances before checking out of the contest in what marked his first game action since April 25. The 22-year-old remains on Single-A Visalia's 60-day injured list while working his way back from an ankle issue, but he'll likely require only a few more rehab games in the ACL before he makes his return to the California League.