MLB Player News

Arias went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a stolen base against Baltimore in a loss Wednesday.

Arias accounted for two of Cleveland's five hits in the defeat and plated the team's final run with his fifth-inning solo homer. The utility man has perked up at the plate of late, batting an even .400 (10-for-25) with a pair of long balls and five RBI over his past nine games. Arias missed some time due to a family medical emergency during that span and isn't an everyday player for the Guardians, so the hot stretch extends back to the beginning of June.

Noel went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Orioles.

Noel enjoyed a storybook first big-league plate appearance, blasting a solo shot 413 feet to center field. The 22-year-old was promoted from Triple-A earlier in the day after blazing to a .295/.359/.578 slash line with 18 homers and 59 RBI over 65 games with Columbus. Noel's power is unquestioned -- he went deep 27 times at Triple-A last season -- though he has had some strikeout issues during his time in the minors. There isn't an obvious path to everyday at-bats with the big club, but if Joel is productive, he could work his way into fairly regular playing time by moving between first base, the corner-outfield spots and designated hitter.

Barger is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Barger will take a seat after he had started in eight of the Blue Jays' past 10 games, with five of those assignments coming at third base and the other three in the corner outfield. With Bo Bichette returning from the injured list Tuesday, Barger's opportunities to play in the infield will become more limited moving forward, but he could still push Davis Schneider or George Springer for the occasional start in left or right field.

Urias is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Guardians.

After making three straight starts at third base, Urias will hit the bench for the second game in a row. Jorge Mateo will pick up another start in the infield while Urias takes a seat.

The Guardians recalled Noel from Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday. He'll start at first base and bat sixth in the Guardians' series finale in Baltimore.

Noel will hit the big leagues for the first time. The 22-year-old slashed .295/.359/.578 with 18 home runs over 65 games with Columbus this season. Much of that production has come since the start of May, with Noel producing a .343/.404/.651 line with 14 home runs in 43 contests over that stretch. Noel has also struck out at just an 18.1-percent rate since May 1, which is a positive development for a player who has often struggled to make contact during his minor-league career. While he can handle first base and the corner outfield spots in a pinch, Noel's best shot at consistent playing time in Cleveland could come at designated hitter.

Harris (undisclosed) has gone 4-for-8 with two solo home runs and two additional runs in two starts for Triple-A Sacramento since he was activated from the 7-day injured list Saturday.

Harris spent just under a month on the shelf while recovering from the unspecified injury. He's hitting .301/.415/.496 with five home runs and three stolen bases across 135 plate appearances for Las Vegas on the season.

Rendon (hamstring) said Wednesday that he's "definitely close" and is still deciding whether to go out on a rehab assignment, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

A rehab assignment would be sensible, considering he's missed two months of action with a high-grade partial tear of his left hamstring. Rendon said that he's open to the possibility of playing rehab games before coming off the 60-day injured list, though the Angels can't force him to do so. Either way, the veteran third baseman should be clear to play in games soon if he's able to sprint on consecutive days without issue.

The Rangers optioned Duran to Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday.

Duran had a nice first full season with the Rangers in 2023, slashing .276/.324/.443 with 14 home runs and eight stolen bases. His follow-up in 2024 hasn't been as successful, as he sports just a .256/.294/.324 line with two home runs and one steal over 58 contests. Duran could still play a prominent role with the Rangers later this season, but for now he'll try to get back on track in a less-pressurized environment.

Jung (wrist) said Wednesday that he expects to resume swinging a bat in a few days, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Jung was examined Tuesday in Phoenix by the doctor who performed his right wrist surgery back in early April. While the third baseman has had his activation from the 60-day injured list pushed back a bit due to inflammation in the wrist, he's been told that his wrist is sound structurally. Jung's return has effectively been ruled out through the weekend, but it's possible he'll rejoin the Texas lineup shortly after that. More should be known regarding a potential target date for his return in the coming days.

Alexander is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

After being called up from Triple-A Omaha on Monday, Alexander started at third base in the first two games of the Royals' series with the Marlins, going 0-for-6 with a pair of strikeouts. He'll take a seat Wednesday while Nick Loftin occupies third base, and it's possible the two could be part of a timeshare at the hot corner until Michael Massey is cleared to play the infield again after he served as Kansas City's designated hitter in his first two games back from the injured list.