MLB Player News

Anderson (illness) will begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Jupiter on Thursday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Anderson is gearing up for a return from the COVID-19 injured list, with his upcoming rehab assignment representing the final stage of his recovery program before he's reinstated to the 26-man active roster. He may only need one game at Jupiter before the Marlins sign off on him returning from the IL ahead of Friday's series opener with the Brewers.

Castro was recalled by the Pirates on Thursday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Castro spent a stretch of time in the majors in the second half of last season but largely failed to impress, hitting .198/.258/.395 in 31 games. He did hit the ball hard, posting a 10.2 percent barrel rate and homering five times, but he didn't hit it often, striking out 29.0 percent of the time. That latter number looks especially poor next to his 6.5 percent walk rate. Through 29 games for Triple-A Indianapolis this season, he's hit .250/.397/.402, offsetting a still-elevated 26.7 percent strikeout rate with an excellent 17.2 percent walk rate. Contact and plate discipline look like they'll be the keys to whether or not he's given enough opportunities to let his power shine.

The Cardinals activated Sosa (illness) from the COVID-19 injured list Thursday.

He'll assume the active roster spot of Kramer Robertson, who was optioned to Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. Sosa has been on the IL since testing positive for the virus May 3, but he cleared all COVID-19-related protocols a week later and played in rehab games Tuesday and Wednesday at Double-A Springfield, going a combined 3-for-8 at the plate. Though he'll be on the bench for Thursday's game against the Orioles as he rejoins the Cardinals, Sosa should get the chance to vie for an everyday role at shortstop following the demotion of Paul DeJong to Triple-A earlier in the week. Brendan Donovan will pick up his third consecutive start at shortstop Thursday.

Escobar is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Nationals, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Escobar will get a day off to mentally reset himself while he remains in the midst of a rough stretch at the plate. Through his first nine starts in May, Escobar is getting on base at a .205 clip and has provided just one extra-base hit (a double). Luis Guillorme will fill in for the veteran at third base.

Newman (groin) is expected to begin a rehab assignment "in the coming days," Jake Crouse of MLB.com reports.

Newman will test his injury by running the bases by the end of the week. Assuming that goes well, he'll begin what will likely be a relatively lengthy rehab assignment. Newman was expected to miss 3-to-5 weeks after landing on the injured list April 27, and he appears likely to return in the middle of that estimate.

Wisdom went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's win over the Padres.

Wisdom returned from a bruised ankle Monday after sitting out Sunday's game, and he looks just fine after starting the last three contests. The 30-year-old has a .744 OPS this season with 16 RBI and 16 runs scored across 28 games. The Cubs have played 30 games total, so Wisdom has been a lineup fixture, despite the presence of Jonathan Villar in a super-utility role.

The Giants reinstated Longoria (finger) from the 10-day injured list Wednesday. He'll start at third base and bat third in the Giants' series finale with the Rockies, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.

San Francisco initially planned to have Longoria come off the IL ahead of Friday's series opener in St. Louis, but he'll make his season debut two days earlier than anticipated after his surgically repaired finger responded well to a recent five-game rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento. He should settle back in as the Giants' everyday third baseman, leaving Wilmer Flores (back) to vie for reps at designated hitter with Darin Ruf.

The Giants plan to have Longoria (finger) back in the lineup Wednesday against the Rockies, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Longoria underwent finger surgery in late March and hasn't yet made his season debut, but he's on track to be in the starting nine for Wednesday's series finale against Colorado. The 36-year-old recently appeared in five rehab games and went 5-for-18 with a run and seven strikeouts.

Anderson (illness) is getting close to returning from the COVID-19 injured list, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

Although Anderson was unavailable for the Marlins' road trip in Arizona, he'll likely be activated from the IL in the coming days. After missing seven straight games, Mish reports that Anderson has a good chance to return from the IL once the Marlins return home Friday.

Riley will receive a $3.95 million contract for 2022 after losing his arbitration case with Atlanta on Wednesday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

He'll settle for a salary of $250,000 lower that he was hoping for after filing for $4.2 million. Riley's uncertain salary situation heading into 2022 hasn't prevented him from getting off to a respectable start to the season, as he heads into Wednesday's series finale with the Red Sox with a .336 on-base average and seven home runs through 30 games.