You'll find your morning roundup below, with news and notes on the Blue Jays' Jose Bautista, the Dodgers' Tony Gwynn Jr. and Juan Uribe, and more.
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Jose Bautista's MRI on his left wrist Wednesday night showed improvement, and the Blue Jays' right fielder can resume hitting drills -- dry swings and hitting off a tee -- wrote Sportsnet's Shi Davidi. Toronto manager John Farrell said the Blue Jays will remain cautious in allowing Bautista to rehab and that surgery was discussed when Bautista initially was hurt but was deemed not necessary at the time.
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Tony Gwynn Jr., designated for assignment by the Dodgers earlier in the week, has accepted his assignment to Triple-A Albuquerque, tweeted the Los Angeles Times' Dylan Hernandez. Gwynn Jr., arguably the Dodgers' best defensive player, lost his spot on the big-league roster -- thanks in part to his meager .570 OPS -- when Los Angeles acquired Shane Victorino from the Phillies at the nonwaiver trade deadline.
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Had Gwynn Jr. denied the assignment, he would have become a free agent. Hernandez added that he believes Gwynn Jr. will be back with the Dodgers once rosters expand in September.
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More from the Dodgers: left fielder Jerry Sands is on his way to Triple-A Albuquerque, too, to make room on the roster for infielder Adam Kennedy, tweeted Hernandez. Kennedy, who's posted a .672 OPS on the season, and who has been slightly above average defensively (according to FanGraphs), has been on the disabled list since July 26 with a right groin strain.
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Sands' demotion means infielder Juan Uribe will stay with the Dodgers, even though he's only played once in August, and has three at-bats since July 24. Uribe's having a nightmarish season, batting .193/.252/.293 in 55 games and 150 at-bats, with two home runs and 17 RBI. Hernandez tweeted that he believes Uribe will remain with the Dodgers for the rest of the season, albeit in a limited role. Uribe's under contract for next season and scheduled to earn $7 million.
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Uribe, clearly frustrated, spoke with Hernandez and had the following to say:
"Whatever happens, there's nothing I can do about it. I can't control that. If they want to trade me or do something else, that's something I can't control. The decision is for them to make. I'm here to do whatever they want me to do. They're playing the ballplayers who are doing their jobs. Like everyone knows, the manager has to play his best players. The players who are playing are doing a better job than I am. Whether I'm here or not, that's not something I can control. If I'm here, I'm fine. If I'm not here, there's nothing I can do. They know what they're doing."
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In Pittsburgh, the Pirates are going to use Chad Qualls as their setup man, replacing Jason Grilli, over the next few weeks, wrote Rob Biertempfel in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Grilli's velocity has dipped of late and the Pirates are worried he's fatigued, even though his numbers -- a 2.66 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 40.2 innings -- are strong.
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Finally, if you missed it late Wednesday night, it's Manny Machado time in Baltimore, and he'll be playing third base. Enjoy, Orioles fans.
