MLB Player News

Pasquantino (hand) is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Orioles.

Despite being activated from the 10-day injured list earlier in the day, Pasquantino will not be in the starting nine against Baltimore for Friday's series opener. Instead, Salvador Perez will man first base and bat sixth with Nick Loftin hitting eighth and handling DH duties.

The Royals activated Pasquantino (hand) from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Pasquantino suffered a broken right hamate bone last month and missed just 23 games with the injury. He's returning in just under four weeks, beating the typical recovery timeline significantly as Pasquantino was initially expected to be sidelined through the All-Star break. He appeared in three games with Triple-A Omaha on a rehab assignment, going 4-for-11 with three walks. At the time of his injury, Pasquantino had slashed an impressive .309/.397/.436 over his previous 14 games. He'll look to recapture that form during a weekend series against the Orioles.

The White Sox optioned Gonzalez to Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.

Gonzalez was recalled for his major-league debut last month after Munetaka Murakami (hamstring) was sent to the injured list. Across 97 trips to the plate, Gonzalez slashed .244/.323/.360 with two homers, 17 RBI, 11 runs scored and an 8:22 BB:K. With Murakami back from the IL, Gonzalez will head back to Charlotte.

The White Sox activated Murakami (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Murakami suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain May 29 and ended up missing 35 games for Chicago. He appeared in two games with Triple-A Charlotte on a rehab assignment and went 2-for-7 at the plate with an RBI and a walk. Prior to his injury, Murakami was one of the hottest sluggers in the sport, blasting 20 homers with 41 RBI, 43 runs scored, 44 walks and a .938 OPS through his first 57 MLB games. The White Sox optioned Jacob Gonzalez to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Naylor went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases and a run scored in Thursday's 8-4 loss to the Marlins.

Naylor, who extended his hitting streak to five games Thursday, now has three stolen bases in his last two games. He's up to 18 steals in 21 attempts this year, putting him well in range to pass his career-high of 30 set last season. At the plate, Naylor's managed a .251/.312/.353 slash line with eight homers, 36 RBI and 34 runs scored across 375 plate appearances.

Schanuel went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, a run and two RBI in a loss to the Rangers on Thursday.

Schanuel was the star of the Angels offense Thursday, posting four of the team's 10 total hits, including both of the club's extra-base knocks. His seventh-inning single plated two runs as part of a five-run rally that resulted in a tie game, but Texas ultimately came away with a walk-off win. Schanuel was in need of a big performance -- he entered Thursday having gone just 1-for-11 over his previous three games and was batting a meager .211 across his past 10 contests.

Rice went 2-for-4 with two home runs, five RBI, a walk and an additional run scored in Thursday's 12-4 win over the Rays.

Rice delivered his first multi-homer game of the year Thursday and the fourth of his career, amassing a season-high five RBI in the process. Following a dreadful month of June, when he hit .196 with just seven extra-base hits over 102 at-bats, the All-Star slugger is returning to form in July. Rice has gone deep five times while collecting 11 RBI in only 29 at-bats during July thus far, now slashing .275/.366/.590 with 28 long balls, 15 doubles, 65 RBI and 63 runs scored across 377 trips to the plate overall.

Kurtz (illness) will serve as the designated hitter and bat second during Thursday's game against the Tigers.

Kurtz was pulled from Wednesday's game in the second inning after he came down with an illness, but he's feeling well enough to return to the starting nine for Thursday's series finale. The 23-year-old has fallen into a minor cold spell at the plate recently, going 0-for-14 with seven strikeouts across his last four contests.

The Tigers recalled Valencia from Triple-A Toledo on Thursday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Valencia has spent the entire season in Triple-A, slashing .267/.353/.486 with 16 homers, 49 RBI and 56 runs scored across 331 plate appearances. He'll now be called upon to provide the big club with depth behind the plate while Dillon Dingler manages a thumb injury. Valencia will be making his MLB debut whenever he gets into a game.

The White Sox are expected to activate Murakami (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list ahead of Friday's game against the Athletics, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

On the shelf since May 30 due to a Grade 2 right hamstring strain, Murakami appears poised to resume his outstanding rookie campaign this weekend after checking out well following two rehab games at Triple-A Charlotte. He's gone 2-for-7 with a double and a walk between the two contests and was able to play a full nine innings at first base Wednesday. Murakami's upcoming return from the IL is expected to most negatively affect fellow rookie Jacob Gonzalez, who had posted a .699 OPS in 29 games with the White Sox after stepping in for Murakami as the team's primary first baseman.