MLB Player News

Moncada (hamstring) could return from the injured list when first eligible Tuesday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Moncada missed over a month at the start of the season with an oblique injury and lasted less than six weeks before returning to the injured list, this time with a strained hamstring. His latest issue seems to be less significant than his first, though it remains to be seen if he will indeed make it back after the minimum 10 days.

Mead is hitting .333/.410/.639 with six home runs, four steals and an 8:18 BB:K through 19 games in June for Double-A Montgomery.

The 21-year-old Australian has hit for average all year long, but he's turned on the power this month as well. One of the better pure hitters in the minors, Mead is due -- perhaps overdue -- for a promotion to Triple-A Durham, where he actually played four games (going 6-for-14 with a homer and two doubles) last season.

Noel has hit 19 homers in 62 games for High-A Lake County this year, but he's also batting .219 with a 31.7 percent strikeout rate and a 7.3 percent walk rate.

While Noel is on close to a 50-homer pace over a 162-game season, he's been striking out more than we've ever seen from him in the past -- including at this same level last year. Noel gained some hype last season after hitting .340 with a 1.005 OPS across three levels of the minors, but that stat line was buoyed by the highly fortunate .421 BABIP he put up while batting .393 in Low-A. He'll need to adjust his approach to become a useful big leaguer, particularly because Noel looks like he may be limited to first base defensively.

Bregman went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Thursday's 7-6 loss to the Yankees.

Jameson Taillon had a rough first inning, allowing the first two Astros hitters to reach base before Bregman's three-run blast. During a six-game hitting streak, Bregman has gone 9-for-20 (.450) with three homers, seven RBI and seven runs scored, and that span includes multiple hits in each of his last three contests. He's posted a .234/.353/.409 slash line in 67 games overall, but his recent work is more in line with what fantasy managers have come to expect of him in his career. With nine long balls this season, he's just three shy of his mark from 91 contests in 2021.

Toro went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Athletics.

Toro kept the pressure up in the ninth inning, stealing second to give the Mariners two runners in scoring position after they tallied the go-ahead run. Hitting success has remained sparse for the infielder in June -- he's 10-for-69 (.145) this month, dropping his season average to .167 in 58 contests. He's added six home runs, 17 RBI and 20 runs scored across 207 plate appearances, and his steal Thursday was his first of the year after he went 6-for-9 on the basepaths in 2021.

Donaldson will sit Thursday against Houston.

Donaldson hasn't been at his best over his last eight games, striking out 12 times while slashing .194/.242/.290. DJ LeMahieu will start at third base Thursday.

Walls went 2-for-4 with a double Wednesday against the Yankees.

Walls led off the seventh inning with a double but was ultimately stranded. He had tallied a single three frames earlier to produce his first multi-hit game since May 3. Walls' time as the team's primary shortstop appears to be nearing an end with Wander Franco (quadriceps) in the midst of a rehab assignment.

Burger went 2-for-5 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

Burger led off the seventh inning with a triple and came around to score on a single by Reese McGuire. With Yoan Moncada (hamstring) back on the injured list, Burger has a clear path to playing time at third base. He has an impressive .790 OPS across 167 plate appearances on the season.

Paredes went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the Yankees on Wednesday.

After going deep three times against New York on Tuesday, Paredes swatted a solo shot in his first at-bat of Wednesday's contest. His unexpected power surge has Paredes up to nine major-league homers on the campaign to go along with the four long balls he swatted in 25 games with Triple-A Durham. He has never been a prolific home run hitter in the minors, but there is the possibility that he is learning to tap into his raw power.

Urshela went 3-for-4 with a home run, a triple, three RBI and three runs scored in Wednesday's 11-10 loss to the Guardians.

Urshela was productive Wednesday, with his three-run homer in the seventh inning giving the Twins a 10-7 lead. He hadn't homered since May 30, and his last multi-hit game before Wednesday was June 8. He's still holding down a regular role at third base with a steady .260/.315/.400 slash line, six homers, 29 RBI, 27 runs scored, 10 doubles and a triple through 63 contests overall.