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.

Manager Dave Roberts said Friday that Smith (neck) will not be activated from the injured list over the weekend, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Smith is slated to receive a cortisone injection in his neck, which will keep him on the shelf beyond the 10-day minimum. The Dodgers will wait to see how he responds to treatment before deciding whether to have him travel with the team during the upcoming road trip, at which point more will be known about the 31-year-old's return timeline.

Arizona is shutting down Puk (elbow) for another four weeks due to a capsule strain and he will also undergo another MRI in four weeks, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Puk has yet to make his season debut for Arizona in 2026 and the wait will now be even longer after the club determined he will be shut down for another four weeks. Once the four weeks are up, the left-hander will undergo an MRI to see if his recovery has advanced at all.

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.

The Padres optioned Rodriguez to the Arizona Complex League on Friday.

The Padres have been planning to get Rodriguez some time off to rest, per Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune, so the team will send him all the way down to rookie ball while he does so. The 22-year-old righty owns a 2.10 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 34.1 innings with the Friars this season, so he'll likely return to San Diego's bullpen once he's well rested. Mason Miller was activated from the bereavement list in a corresponding move.