MLB Player News

France went 2-for-3 with a walk in Monday's 7-0 win over the Athletics.

France had been mired in a brief 3-for-17 funk coming into Monday, so his three trips on the basepaths were an especially welcome sight. The veteran infielder has still put together a productive August despite the recent skid, as he's now sporting a .284 average, .877 OPS, nine extra-base hits, 12 RBI, 12 walks and 11 runs over 25 games during the month, getting on base another nine times while being hit by pitches.

Abreu went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two RBI and two walks Monday against the Red Sox.

Abreu got the scoring started for Houston with a solo homer off Chris Sale in the second inning -- his first since being activated from the injured list Aug. 23. He's produced plenty in the four games since, going 5-for-17 with five RBI and two runs scored. Abreu's increased production has stretched a bit further, as he has four home runs, 16 RBI and 16 runs scored in 27 games since the All-Star break.

Pratto (groin/hip) is expected to resume his rehab assignment later this week, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Pratto recently suffered a "minor setback" in his recovery from the lower-half injury that sent him to the injured list in late July, but taking a few days off appears to have resolved the issue. He's slated to go through all baseball activities Tuesday. Barring any issues, Pratto should resume playing in minor-league games before the week comes to a close.

Naylor (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with Double-A Akron, Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Sidelined since Aug. 1 with a right oblique strain, Naylor looks like he could be a candidate to return from the 10-day injured list as early as this weekend, provided he experiences no setbacks while on the minor-league assignment. Kole Calhoun has been serving as the Guardians' primary first baseman in recent weeks, but manager Terry Francona could find room in the lineup for both Calhoun and Naylor by deploying one of the two at designated hitter. Despite missing nearly a month of action, Naylor still leads Cleveland with 79 RBI on the season.

Vaughn is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Orioles, according to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Vaughn picked up multiple hits Sunday and did so four times over his last seven games, but he will sit out in favor of Gavin Sheets on Mondaywith manager Pedro Grifol looking to get another left-handed hitter in the lineup against Orioles righty Grayson Rodriguez.

Schanuel (illness) is in the lineup for Monday's game against the Phillies, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

An illness prevented Schanuel from playing the past two days, but he is ready to get back on the field. As he has done regularly against right-handers since being called up Aug. 18, Schanuel will man first base and hit leadoff for the Angels on Monday.

Cron (back) is still experiencing soreness and hasn't yet resumed baseball activities, the Associated Press reports.

Cron is eligible to be activated after going on the 10-day IL on Aug. 18, but he doesn't appear to be particularly close to a return. The veteran first baseman was diagnosed with lower-back inflammation prior to hitting the injured list, and he had been struggling since joining the Angels at the end of July, slashing just .217/.280/.283 with one homer, five RBI and a 4:14 BB:K over 14 contests. The Angels have fallen 10.5 games out of an AL wild-card spot with the season winding down, so they probably won't rush Cron back and may continue to start rookie Nolan Schanuel (illness) at first base even if Cron is able to return.

Guerrero went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's extra-innings loss to the Guardians.

The 24-year-old slugger gave the Jays an early lead by taking Noah Syndergaard deep in the first inning on a changeup that stayed up in the zone, but Toronto eventually fell 10-7 in the 11th. Guerrero has hit safely in eight straight games and gone yard in two of the last three to get to 20 homers on the season, and the late August hot streak offers some hope he can regain his swagger in September -- his .784 OPS on the season is a long way from the 1.002 mark he delivered in 2021.

Calhoun went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and three runs scored in Sunday's 10-7 win over the Blue Jays.

Calhoun's big day culminated with a two-run double in the 11th that proved to be the game-winning hit for the Guardians. The 35-year-old Calhoun hasn't hit above .235 since 2017 but has provided a spark for the Guardians since joining the club Aug. 5. He's currently hitting .288 with two homers, 11 RBI and 11 runs scored in 66 at-bats.

Casas went 2-for-4 with one double, a home run, two RBI and one run scored in Sunday's loss against the Dodgers.

Casas hit a two-run homer in the sixth off Gavin Stone to put the Red Sox on the board. It was his 21st home run of the season, with 12 of those coming since the All-Star break. Cases is now slashing .256/.356/.482 on the season.