MLB Player News

Longoria (shoulder) is working through a hitting progression and has begun other baseball activities, Amy Gutierrez of the Giants' official site reports.

Longoria was transferred to the 60-day injured list in mid-July, which means he will be out until at least early August. An activation when first eligible appears to be a possibility, and he could begin a rehab assignment before the end of the month.

Chicago won't activate Duffy (back) from the 60-day injured list Thursday, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Duffy looked on track to return from the IL for Thursday's series finale in St. Louis, and though he hasn't suffered any sort of setback, the Cubs will instead wait at least one more day to reinstate him. Rather than bringing back Duffy, the Cubs called up reliever Trevor Megill from Triple-A Iowa to fill the opening on the active roster created by infielder Sergio Alcantara's demotion. Once activated, Duffy will likely be relegated to a utility role in the infield, though he could settle into a near-everyday role in the event Kris Bryant's hamstring injury forces him to the IL.

Urshela (illness) could rejoin the Yankees prior to the end of the current series against the Red Sox that runs through Sunday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Urshela was one of six confirmed positive cases for COVID-19 among the Yankees last week, but he's apparently tested negative now since he's traveling to meet the team in Boston. The 29-year-old should reclaim his role as the primary third baseman once he's cleared to return, but DJ LeMahieu and Tyler Wade should continue to fill in while he's sidelined.

Maton (finger) was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday.

Maton has been dealing with a laceration on his right middle finger for nearly a week, and he hasn't recorded any plate appearances since suffering the injury. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available for the minor-league club right away, but Odubel Herrera (ankle) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move.

Ramirez (elbow) will start at third base and bat third Thursday against the Rays.

Ramirez will check back into the starting nine after Cleveland elected to keep him on the bench for Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Astros due to a sore left elbow. While Cleveland isn't expected to shut Ramirez down as a result of the injury, manager Terry Francona suggested the veteran could get more frequent maintenance days in the second half as the club looks to preserve his health for the balance of the season. Ramirez has been one of the few bright spots this season in an otherwise lackluster Cleveland lineup, batting .254 with 19 home runs and nine stolen bases.

The Tigers placed Paredes on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a right hip strain.

Paredes had been withheld from the lineup the previous two days with what was described as a sore hip, but upon further evaluation, the Tigers reclassified the infielder's injury as a strain. The transaction is retroactive to Tuesday, so Paredes will first be eligible to return from the IL on July 31. Detroit called up Willi Castro from Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding move, and he and Harold Castro will likely share second base until either Paredes or Niko Goodrum (calf) is back in action.

Devers went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 7-4 win against the Blue Jays.

The third baseman crushed a 414-foot solo shot to center field in the fourth inning for one of five Red Sox round trippers in the game. Devers is up to 24 homers on the season, putting him in a tie for sixth place leaguewide. He is well within reach of his career-high mark of 32 dingers set in 2019.

Segura went 1-for-5 with a solo home run and a walk Wednesday against the Yankees.

Segura led off the game by slugging his fifth home run of the season. It was his second homer in his last eight games, though prior to this stretch he had gone 29 games without a long ball. Even so, he's found other ways to be productive this season, most notably by maintaining a .312/.367/.446 line and also by chipping in six steals across 287 plate appearances.

Muncy (shoulder) is starting at second base and batting second Wednesday versus the Giants, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The 30-year-old exited Tuesday's contest with a bruised right shoulder, but the injury won't keep him out of the lineup Wednesday. Despite his return, Muncy's availability for the immediate future remains somewhat up in the air, as he could move to the paternity list any day now with his wife due to give birth to the couple's child.

Ramirez isn't starting Wednesday's game against Houston due to left elbow soreness, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Manager Terry Francona said Tuesday that Ramirez will get occasional days off in the coming weeks since he hasn't fully recovered from his left elbow soreness, so his absence from the lineup for a second straight day isn't overly surprising. Ernie Clement will take over at third base and bat ninth in place of Ramirez, who could be back in the lineup for Thursday's series opener against the Rays.