MLB Player News

Manager Kevin Cash said Friday that Rodriguez (elbow) will begin throwing live batting practice June 30, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Rodriguez has been on the shelf all season while on the mend from an elbow procedure he underwent last August. He was cleared to begin throwing off a mound in May, and the Rays will seemingly have him throw a few more bullpen sessions before clearing him to begin facing hitters at the end of the month. A timeline for his return to the bullpen remains unknown, though he will almost certainly require several tuneup appearances in the minors before coming off the IL.

Rutschman (head) isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Dodgers, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Rutschman will take a day to recover after getting hit in the head by a bad throw while running to first base in the ninth inning of Thursday's game. Samuel Basallo will fill in behind the plate, moving Taylor Ward into the DH spot and giving Jeremiah Jackson a start in left field.

Mayer isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Mariners due to an illness, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

After sitting out Thursday's finale against Toronto, Mayer will miss a second consecutive start Friday while he recovers from his illness. Andruw Monasterio will take over as Boston's second baseman and bat ninth.

Grissom isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Athletics.

Grissom will get a break Friday after going 1-for-7 with a walk across his first two games back from the injured list. Oswald Peraza will start at the keystone and bat fourth.

Rodriguez (hamstring) is back in the lineup for Friday's matchup against Boston.

After exiting early from Wednesday's matchup and riding the pine on Thursday, Rodriguez is back in the lineup for the series opener against Boston on Friday. The 25-year-old will play center field and bat third for Seattle.

The Mariners designated Mastrobuoni for assignment Friday.

Mastrobuoni went 5-for-23 with an RBI and three runs scored during his eight-game stint with the Mariners, but he'll now lose his place on the 26-man and 40-man rosters in favor of Weston Wilson. Mastrobuoni owns just a .567 OPS across 474 plate appearances in his MLB career, but his defensive versatility could draw some attention on the waiver wire.

The Mariners selected Wilson's contract from Triple-A Tacoma on Friday.

Wilson will return for his second stint in the majors this season, this time with a different team in Seattle. The 31-year-old appeared in 21 games with Baltimore before being designated for assignment June 6. Wilson slashed .231/.348/.33 with one homer in 46 plate appearances with the Orioles. Seattle designated Miles Mastrobuoni for assignment in order to make room for Wilson on the roster.

Lux (shoulder) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment June 29, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lux has been on the injured list all season due to shoulder and ankle issues, though he was cleared to resume taking live batting practice last week. Manager Kevin Cash said Friday that the 28-year-old's shoulder is feeling better now that he's a month removed from suffering a setback during a rehab game, but the Rays will continue to bring him back slowly and wait until the end of the month before returning him to minor-league action. More information about the duration of Lux's upcoming rehab assignment may come once he begins playing in games.

Rodriguez (back) recently underwent an MRI that came back clean, per MLB.com.

The imaging brought promising news for the right-handed hurler, and he was able to play catch June 16. That was just two days after Rodriguez had to depart his start against Tampa Bay after feeling tightness in his back. It's not clear how long Rodriguez will be sidelined, but early indications are that he may not need much more than the minimum 15 days required by his IL stint.

Javier (shoulder) will make another appearance Sunday for Triple-A Sugar Land in what should be his final rehab start, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Javier only made three appearances for Houston before being placed on the injured list April 10. Houston believes this upcoming rehab start should be the 29-year-old's final one, so it seems the right-hander is close to being back with the big-league club after missing over two months of action.