MLB Player News

The Royals announced Monday that Bubic (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.

Bubic hasn't pitched since May 14 due to left elbow soreness and general arm fatigue, but he's been throwing for the past couple weeks and is ready to pitch in a game situation. Prior to landing on the 15-day injured list, Bubic recorded a 4.11 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 51:26 K:BB across 50.1 innings. As long as he continues to improve, Bubic should rejoin the Royals' rotation within the next couple weeks.

Wilson (shoulder) went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored Sunday with Triple-A Las Vegas.

Making his second rehab appearance while working back from a left shoulder subluxation, Wilson led off the bottom of the first inning with a double and came around to score later in the frame. Prior to being shelved, the shortstop hit .292/.311/.398 with three homers, eight doubles, 19 RBI, 18 runs and two stolen bases across 39 appearances. It's unclear how much time the Athletics plan to give Wilson at Triple-A Las Vegas, though a return to the big-league club sometime this week remains possible.

Bachman (illness) appeared in relief in two of the Angels' three games against the Dodgers over the weekend, retiring four of the five batters he faced while notching three strikeouts.

Bachman hit Alex Freeland with a pitch in Friday's 1-0 loss but otherwise had a clean weekend. The pair of appearances were Bachman's first since May 30, as he had went unused out of the bullpen over a stretch of four games while he recovered from an illness.

Kurtz went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run and a stolen base in Sunday's 5-0 victory over Houston.

Kurtz opened the scoring in the third inning with a 113.9 mph missile over the wall in right-center field for a two-run homer. After reaching on an error in the fourth frame, the first baseman also swiped his first bag since May 9. The 23-year-old is enjoying a stellar sophomore campaign, slashing .276/.431/.496 with 12 homers, 45 RBI, 42 runs and seven steals across 64 games.

Rooker went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, two total RBI and a walk in Sunday's 5-0 win over the Astros.

Rooker picked up a pair of impactful extra-base hits, lining an RBI double in the third inning before launching a solo homer in the fifth frame. June has gotten off to a solid start for the 31-year-old, who has gone 6-for-20 (.300) with two homers across six appearances. Overall, Rooker is hitting .206 with a .684 OPS, 10 homers, 29 RBI, 19 runs and two stolen bases through 47 games.

Smith (shoulder) started a throwing program Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

Shortly after landing on the 15-day injured list May 22 due to right shoulder inflammation, Smith received a cortisone shot to address the injury. After responding well to the injection, Smith is beginning to ramp up again and could re-emerge as an option in the Detroit bullpen later this month. He'll likely require a brief rehab assignment prior to being activated from the IL.

Melendez went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the Padres.

Getting the start in left field while Juan Soto got a partial rest as the DH, Melendez took Yuki Matsui deep in the sixth inning -- his fourth homer of the year, and first against a left-handed pitcher. The 27-year-old also made a spectacular diving catch in the second inning to rob Miguel Andujar of extra bases. Melendez hasn't had a multi-hit performance since May 6, batting just .098 (5-for-51) over his last 25 games with a 30.6 percent strikeout rate, but he remains in a battle for playing time with Mark Vientos, who isn't doing much better at the plate over the last few weeks.

The Rays plan to call up Slater from Triple-A Durham, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Signed to a minor-league contract in late May, Slater has a 1.160 OPS in six games with Durham. The Rays are slated to face three left-handers in their early-week series versus the Red Sox, so the right-handed-hitting Slater should get some reps in the outfield. Slater has slashed just .209/.286/.233 through 49 plate appearances in the majors this season.

Taylor (hip) began running this past week but has yet to resume full baseball activities, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The reserve outfielder suffered a hip injury while running out a groundball May 25. Taylor had a meager .530 OPS in 104 plate appearances when he landed on the IL, and with rookies A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge solidifying their spots in the lineup, the 32-year-old likely won't have much of a role once he gets healthy.

Ruiz went 0-for-1 with a walk, a run scored and two stolen bases in Sunday's win over the Rays.

The 27-year-old outfielder began the game on the bench but pinch hit for Owen Caissie in the seventh inning and remained in the contest in right field. Ruiz isn't seeing consistent playing time and sports a .196/.300/.471 slash line through just 60 plate appearances since he joined the Marlins' roster in late April, but he has slugged three homers and stolen 11 bags in 12 attempts while adding six RBI and 14 runs.