MLB Player News

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said that Witt (knee) hit in the batting cage, fielded grounders and ran the bases pregame prior to Monday's contest against the Rays, Brian Murphy of MLB.com reports.

Quatraro referred to Witt's workout as "very encouraging," adding that he's hopeful the star shortstop will be available to play "in the next couple of days." Witt is missing a third straight start Monday against the Rays, but optimism remains that he will be able to avoid a stint on the 10-day injured list.

Walls is not in the lineup for Monday's tilt against the Royals.

The Rays will go with Ben Williamson at shortstop in the series opener. Walls had started each of the previous six contests.

Witt (knee) remains out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rays.

Witt hasn't played since exiting last Thursday's contest against the Cardinals due to a Grade 1 MCL sprain in his right knee. The Royals have seemed optimistic to this point that Witt could avoid a stint on the injured list, but the time to make a decision one way or another is likely coming soon. Maikel Garcia will shift over to shortstop again Monday, while Nick Loftin will grab the start at third base.

Allen (hamstring) resumed taking batting practice and shagging flyballs over the weekend, MLB.com reports.

Allen appears poised to head out on a rehab assignment in the near future, perhaps as soon as later this week. The 27-year-old has been on the shelf since June 8 due to a Grade 1 left hamstring strain and should serve as a utility infielder for Houston once he's activated.

Neto went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 9-7 win over the Athletics.

The Angels faced a 7-4 deficit after seven innings, but Neto's blast in the ninth gave them the lead. During the team's seven-game road trip, he went 7-for-29 (.241) with four homers and seven RBI. The shortstop continues to struggle to hit for average, but he's on a career-best pace in power. He's batting .225 with a .784 OPS, 17 homers, 39 RBI, 54 runs scored, 15 doubles, two triples and 11 stolen bases over 76 contests this season.

Gray is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Since Brooks Lee made the full-time shift over to third base in late May, Gray has occupied the strong side of a platoon at shortstop. However, his grip on that role may be loosening, as he'll cede the position to Ryan Kreidler for a second straight game while the Twins face off against right-hander Jose Cabrera. Gray has been stuck in an extended funk at the plate, going 3-for-24 with a 1:9 BB:K over his last eight games to bring his season-long slash line down to .241/.283/.361.

The Athletics optioned Williams to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday.

Williams has been productive through 14 games in June with six extra-base hits and a .343/.378/.571 slash line, but he'll still lose his roster spot. Joey Meneses was added to the big-league roster Sunday and is starting at designated hitter in the series finale versus the Angels.

Seager (concussion) took part in defensive drills on the field prior to Sunday's game against the Padres, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Though he remains on the 7-day injured list, Seager's ability to take part in a pregame workout suggests he's progressing in his recovery from a mild concussion. Seager is slated to travel with the Rangers during their upcoming 10-game road swing, but it's unclear if he'll be able to clear the protocol and make his return from the IL at any point during that trip.

Witt (knee) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

A team off day Saturday didn't provide sufficient time for Witt to fully heal from a Grade 1 MCL sprain in his right knee, prompting the Royals to keep him on the bench for a second straight game. Maikel Garcia will step in at shortstop in place of Witt, who will be re-evaluated Sunday and could still avoid a stint on the injured list.

Volpe went 1-for-3 with with a walk and a stolen base in Saturday's loss to the Reds.

Volpe was one of only three Yankees to reach base multiple times. The young shortstop extended his hitting streak to eight games, during which he is slashing .478/.571/.652 with five RBI, six runs, a steal and a 5:3 BB:K. Volpe has played only 27 games so far this season, but his 14.9 percent walk rate and 19.8 percent strikeout rate are significant improvements over the 7.4 percent and 25.2 percent marks he logged across 596 regular-season plate appearances last year.