MLB Player News

Langford (forearm) is expected to take live batting practice Friday, MLB.com reports.

This will be the second batting practice session of the week for Langford, who also took BP on Monday. If Friday's session goes well, he'll likely get the green light to begin a new rehab assignment after he got pulled off his last one in early May.

Varland recorded his eighth save of the season in Thursday's win over the Orioles, allowing one hit over 1.1 scoreless innings. He didn't record a strikeout.

The 28-year-old right-hander entered the game with two outs in the eighth inning and saw catcher Brandon Valenzuela pick off Pete Alonso at first base to close out the frame. Varland allowed a one-out single to Leody Taveras in the ninth, but he'd close the door on an O's comeback by getting Jackson Holliday to ground out. Varland has gone 8-for-8 in save chances this season while sporting a pristine 0.30 ERA and 1.07 WHIP through 27 appearances (30 innings). He's also on a run of 14 straight outings without allowing an earned run dating back to April 26.

Pena went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Rangers.

Pena led off the contest with a 424-foot blast off Nathan Eovaldi, setting the tone for Houston in the victory. After going 17 games without a homer to start the year, a stretch interrupted by a five-week stay on the IL due to a hamstring strain, Pena now has two in his last three games. He's batting .256 with a .689 OPS, 12 runs scored, six RBI and two steals through 90 plate appearances this season.

Jung went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Thursday's 5-1 loss to Houston.

Jung had half of the Rangers' four hits and snapped a homerless streak of 14 games with his second-inning blast. While he's sustained a batting average north of .300 since a mid-April resurgence, Jung's run production has taken a dip in May. He's slugged just .396 on the month with two home runs and five RBI over 23 games.

Smith (illness) rejoined his teammates at Globe Life Field on Thursday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

The infielder originally landed on the injured list May 3 due to a strained glute before dealing with wrist inflammation and then spending time in the hospital due to a bout of viral meningitis. Smith did some light workouts and jogging Thursday as he begins to ramp up his activity level. Prior to the stay on the IL, Smith had been the Rangers' primary second baseman, but that may not be the case when he's ready to return as both Justin Foscue and Ezequiel Duran have made inroads since then.

Durbin went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 10-2 loss to Atlanta.

Durbin had a run-scoring double and then scored on a bloop single in the fourth inning. It would be an understatement to say the former Brewer has struggled at the plate this season, as he entered the game on a 2-for-26 stretch and left Fenway Park following the game with a .172 batting average. Thursday's start was just Durbin's third in the last nine games, as he's losing playing time at third base to Nick Sogard and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

Weissert allowed two runs on one hit and one walk over one inning in Thursday's 10-2 loss to Atlanta.

Weissert was handed a tough ask by interim manager Chad Tracy, who brought the reliever in to a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the middle of the sixth inning of a tie game. The right-hander proceeded to walk the first batter he faced and then was taken deep for a grand slam, with Danny Coulombe getting stuck with the loss as a result. Weissert's struggled this season with inherited baserunners, allowing 12 of 21 to score. His own ERA ballooned to 4.43 (11 ER in 22.1 IP) following the outing.

Callihan went 1-for-2 with a walk, a double and an RBI on Thursday against the Cubs.

Callihan was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday but wasn't in the starting lineup. He entered the game in the fourth inning after Nick Gonzales exited with a knee injury, and Callihan went on to deliver an RBI double in the sixth inning. That marked his first hit as a Pirate, and he could pick up extra playing time if Gonzales is sidelined for an extended period.

Grichuk went 1-for-4 with a double and three RBI on Thursday against the Twins.

Grichuk delivered a bases-clearing double in the third inning, capping off a four-run inning for the White Sox. He started his second straight game -- only the second time he's done that this season -- and only his third against a right-handed starting pitcher. Grichuk has a limited sample of only 71 plate appearances, but he now has four home runs, 13 runs scored and 15 RBI while hitting .269.

Montgomery went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored Thursday against the Twins.

Montgomery knocked in a run with a single in the first inning and tallied another base hit two frames later. The effort marked his third straight start with multiple hits, and he's gone 6-for-14 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in that span. Even given that hot stretch, Montgomery is hitting only .209 with a 35.4 percent strikeout rate across his last 11 games.