MLB Player News

Mauricio (thumb) could begin a rehab assignment later this week, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Mauricio has been sidelined since early May with a fractured left thumb, but he's been going through baseball activities lately and has responded well. He would seem to have a chance to be activated before the end of June, though it's not a given Mauricio will be put back on the major-league roster at that time.

Semien went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over Atlanta.

The veteran second baseman took Bryce Elder deep in the fifth inning, going back-to-back with rookie A.J. Ewing to extend the Mets' lead in an eventual 8-1 romp. Semien has had a tough start to his New York tenure, but he's at least found his power stroke the last few weeks. Over his last 18 games, Semien's launched six of his nine homers on the year, but during that stretch he's batting just .231 (15-for-65) with a 25.4 percent strikeout rate.

Castro went 4-for-6 with a pair of home runs, a walk, seven RBI and three runs scored in Sunday's 23-9 win over the Athletics.

Castro made a huge impact out of the leadoff spot as the ball flew out of Las Vegas Ballpark. Castro's first homer was a two-run blast in the second inning, and he added a grand slam in the eighth. The seven RBI were a single-game career high for the utility man. He has gone 14-for-42 (.333) in June and is now batting .278 with a .752 OPS, five homers, 29 RBI, 31 runs scored, 11 doubles and five stolen bases over 60 contests this season.

Wetherholt went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Twins.

Wetherholt has gone 8-for-26 (.308) over seven games since returning from a brief absence due to groin soreness. The infielder played a big role in the Cardinals' offense Sunday, though it wasn't quite enough. He's now hitting .255 on the year while adding a .761 OPS, 10 homers, 31 RBI, 45 runs scored, seven doubles and seven stolen bases over 65 games.

Hoerner is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

The Cubs will go with Pedro Ramirez at second base in the series finale while the slumping Hoerner receives his first day off since May 25. While starting each of the Cubs' last 17 games, Hoerner slashed just .200/.250/.229 with zero home runs, two stolen bases, three RBI and three runs.

Julien is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

The left-handed-hitting Julien will retreat to the bench with southpaw Jeffrey Springs toeing the rubber for the Athletics. Julien has been included in the lineup for every matchup with a right-handed starter so far in June and is slashing .333/.419/.407 so far this month, but it's unclear if he'll be able to hold down a strong-side platoon role after Colorado reinstated Tyler Freeman (concussion) from the 7-day injured list Sunday.

Turang is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

With the Phillies sending a tough southpaw to the bump in Cristopher Sanchez, the Brewers will elect to give Turang a rare day off. David Hamilton will cover second base in place of Turang, who is out of the starting nine for the first time since May 3.

The Rockies optioned Stevens to Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday.

Stevens was called up for his Rockies debut May 21 but struggled mightily in 16 games, going 2-for-28 with five walks and 13 strikeouts. The 27-year-old will now return to Albuquerque, where he's batting .362 with three homers and six steals through 40 contests this season.

Ramirez went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a double in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Giants.

Ramirez's fifth-inning blast was the first homer of his big-league career. The 22-year-old infielder was called up May 22 but has struggled to find consistent playing time. Through 12 games, he's hitting .250 with a .752 OPS, one homer, two RBI, three runs scored, two doubles and no stolen bases over 31 plate appearances. Prior to his call-up, he hit .312 with a .942 OPS, nine long balls, 40 RBI and 34 runs scored over 43 games with Triple-A Iowa, so there's some all-around appeal here if he can find a more regular role.

Lowe went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Friday against the Mariners.

Lowe popped a home run in the eighth inning, his 17th of the season and second in as many games. He's had an all-or-nothing approach at the plate across his first 10 games of June, hitting only .189 with a 26.2 percent strikeout rate. However, three of his seven hits in that span have cleared the fence.