MLB Player News

Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four total RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Angels.

Ramirez got Cleveland off on the right foot with a two-run homer in the first inning and produced another two-run shot in the eighth. The long balls were his fifth and sixth of the campaign and snapped a seven-game homer drought. Ramirez leads MLB with 25 RBI on the campaign and is slashing .353/.416/.735 across 77 plate appearances.

Burger went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a double Wednesday against the Royals.

Burger led off the fourth inning with a home run off Zack Greinke to record his second long ball of the season. Two frames earlier he had recorded his second double of the campaign but was stranded at third base. This was a needed performance for Burger, as he had collected only three hits across his last 24 at-bats while striking out at a 30.4 percent clip. However, he's now recorded consecutive multi-hit games and should appear regularly in the lineup so long as Yoan Moncada (oblique) is sidelined.

Toro went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Wednesday's loss to the Rays.

Toro took the Rays' closer Andrew Kittredge deep in the top of the ninth inning, narrowing the deficit to one run. The home run was his second of the year and after starting the season 1-for-19 from the plate, the 25-year-old has now hit safely in seven of his last nine games.

Moncada (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday, Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Moncada resumed taking live batting practice Tuesday and is still experiencing some pain while swinging left-handed, but he's now been cleared to return to game action. The 26-year-old has been dealing with a right oblique strain for nearly a month, and he'll likely require several rehab games before he rejoins the White Sox. However, Moncada will likely have a chance to appear in major-league games as early as next week.

Freeman (shoulder) will report to Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday and is expected to be activated from the 7-day injured list in advance of the affiliate's game against Louisville, Emily Waldon of Baseball America reports.

Freeman looks ready to make his Triple-A debut and his first minor-league appearance since July 25 of last season after a nine-month recovery from a left shoulder injury that ultimately required surgery. The Guardians could initially look to manage Freeman's workload coming off the injury by deploying him as a designated hitter, but he's expected to eventually settle into an everyday role at shortstop, third base or second base. If Freeman is able to rediscover his pre-injury form and pick up where he left off at Akron -- he posted an .842 OPS in 180 plate appearances in 2021 -- he could be in store for his first big-league call-up at some point in the second half of the season.

Miranda is hitting .236 with one home run and a .667 OPS through 17 games at Triple-A St. Paul.

Miranda entered spring training with an outside shot to win a role in the majors, but a call-up in the near future now looks very unlikely. Miranda's slow start in the minors isn't anything to be overly concerned about given the small sample size, although he's striking out a tad more (16.5% K%), but he's not forcing the issue to be called up. Meanwhile, the Twins are getting decent production at third base between Luis Arraez and Gio Urshela. An injury in the majors could always change the equation, but Miranda will likely need to put in a long hot stretch at Triple-A before getting consideration.

Moncada (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte this weekend if all goes well before then, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Moncada strained his right oblique shortly before Opening Day. As recently as Friday, he was still experiencing soreness while swinging, but it appears as though he's made enough progress that the White Sox believe he'll be able to begin a rehab assignment soon.

Devers will sit Tuesday against Toronto, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Devers hits the bench for the first time this season. He's hit .264/.284/.458 through 17 games, a respectable line but below his usual standards. He'll rest after going 3-for-20 across his last five games, with Christian Arroyo getting the start at third base.

Walls is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mariners, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Walls had seen an uptick in playing time recently with starts in five of the Rays' previous six games, but he'll likely move into more of a utility role following corner infielder Yandy Diaz's return Sunday from the COVID-19 injured list. With Diaz and Wander Franco typically starting on the left side of the infield when the Rays oppose right-handed pitching, the righty-hitting Walls will likely see most of his opportunities against left-handed pitching. On those occasions, Diaz typically moves across the diamond to replace the lefty-hitting Ji-Man Choi at first base.

Prieto was named the South Atlantic League Player of the Week, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Prieto hit .368 with four home runs, nine RBI and four runs scored last week. The 23-year-old is playing his first season of affiliated baseball at High-A Aberdeen, and the early results are encouraging. If he keeps it up, the second baseman could be in line for a move up to Double-A later in the campaign.