MLB Player News

Yoshida (thumb) began swinging off a tee Thursday, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

As noted Wednesday, manager Alex Cora said Yoshida will wear a guard on the thumb to protect the area of the injury. His return from the injured list is dependent on how Yoshida feels as he progresses.

Calhoun isn't in the Angels' lineup Thursday versus the Yankees, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Lefty Carlos Rodon is on the mound for the Yankees, so the lefty-hitting Calhoun will take a seat to begin the game. In his place as the designated hitter, Cole Tucker will start and bat eighth.

Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Wednesday's 10-3 win over the Mets.

Ohtani knocked a run-scoring single in the fifth inning and capped his performance with a two-run blast in the eighth. The long ball was his first since May 17 and pushed him to 14 on the campaign, eighth-most in the majors. Ohtani has added 38 RBI, 41 runs, 13 stolen bases and a .330/.395/.615 slash line through 248 plate appearances.

Aranda is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics.

The lefty-hitting Aranda will hit the bench for the second day in a row, this time against a lefty (Hogan Harris) after he sat out against right-hander Joey Estes in Wednesday's 4-3 win. Aranda came off the bench Wednesday and delivered a pinch-hit RBI single, lifting his average up to .237 over 14 games on the season. Harold Ramirez will get another turn at designated hitter Thursday.

Schwarber went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, an additional RBI, a walk and a stolen base in Wednesday's 6-1 victory over the Giants.

He got the Phillies started with an opposite-field homer off Kyle Harrison to lead off the first inning. Schwarber drove in a second run with a base hit in the eighth, extending Philadelphia's lead to 5-0. It's the third straight two-hit game for Schwarber -- he's gone 6-for-12 with two homers, four RBI and two steals in that span. He's boosted his slash line to .246/.369/.425 with 11 homers, 35 RBI and 43 runs scored across 55 games while going 4-for-5 in stolen base attempts this season.

Larnach is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Royals.

With Thursday's contest being a day game after a night game, manager Rocco Baldelli will give rest to several key regulars. Along with Larnach, Max Kepler, Edouard Julien and Alex Kirilloff will rest as the Twins open up room in the lineup for reserves Christian Vazquez, Manuel Margot, Kyle Farmer and Carlos Santana.

Yoshida (thumb) is set to begin swinging a bat in the upcoming days, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

This is the first real sign that Yoshida is working his way back to playing again. He was placed on the injured list May 1 and spent most of the month shut down from baseball activities. When he does begin swinging, Yoshida will wear a hand guard over the injured thumb.

Langford started in left field and went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 6-1 win over Arizona.

This was Langford's second game back from a stint on the injured list due to a hamstring injury. He played his first game in the field after returning as the DH on Tuesday. With Evan Carter (back) on the injured list, Langford is in line for near-everyday work in left field.

Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Reds.

The long ball was Carpenter's first of the campaign, as he took Frankie Montas deep in the third inning. Playing time has been generally sporadic for Carpenter since he returned from an oblique injury, as Alec Burleson's strong hitting has made him a priority to be in the lineup. Carpenter is batting .250 with four RBI, four runs scored and a 5:13 BB:K over 42 plate appearances as an option at designated hitter.

Velazquez went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Twins.

Velazquez looks to be regaining his power swing with four homers over his last seven contests. He's still lacking in overall consistency at the plate -- he was hitless in his previous three games before his strong effort Wednesday. The 25-year-old is up to seven long balls on the year while adding 19 RBI, 24 runs scored, one stolen base and a .224/.292/.410 slash line over 47 contests. Velazquez is seeing steady playing time between the corner outfield spots and designated hitter.