MLB Player News

Smith (back) is slated to begin a swing progression Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Smith has been sidelined since June 17 with a back strain, and the fact he's finally ready to pick up a bat again nearly a month later underscores the severity of the original injury. Now that the 27-year-old appears to finally be making some progress, it remains to be seen how quickly he'll be deemed ready to begin what would project to be a fairly lengthy rehab assignment.

Allen went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and a stolen base in a loss to the Twins on Friday.

Allen put the Athletics' first run of the second half of the season on the board with his second-inning single, plating Shea Langeliers. The light-hitting infielder had gone 2-for-11 over his first six games back from Triple-A Las Vegas prior to Friday's single, and he's yet to prove capable of getting the better of big-league arms on a consistent basis through his first 453 MLB plate appearances over the last two seasons.

Chang will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Cubs.

Chang returned from hamate surgery just before the break and started two of the last three games of the first half. He opened the second half at shortstop but will head to the bench for the second game of the series. Enrique Hernandez starts at shortstop Saturday.

Seager went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two RBI and an additional run scored in Friday's 12-4 win over Cleveland.

Seager hit the first of three Texas home runs in the bottom of the seventh inning that turned a 4-3 deficit into an 8-4 lead. In all, the Rangers belted four home runs in their comeback after falling behind 4-0 in the third. It was an explosion from Texas batters, who were held in check and went 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position over the final two games before the All-Star break. Seager, who missed a month due to a hamstring injury, does not yet qualify for any batting titles, but the shortstop has an impressive line of .355/.416/.628 over 60 games.

Fletcher was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.

The Angels made a slew of roster moves, and they are bringing Michael Stefanic and Trey Cabbage up from Triple-A to take the place of Fletcher and Anthony Rendon (shin contusion). Fletcher scored a five-year $24.5 million extension in April of 2021, but he has logged a poor .258/.292/.325 slash line with five home runs in 237 games over the past three seasons.

Neto (oblique) is starting at shortstop and leading off Friday against the Astros, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

Neto ends up missing exactly a month with an oblique strain. He hit .355 with three home runs and two steals in 12 June games, and the fact he is back atop the lineup is a good sign for his fantasy value.

Reyes (abdomen) will remain on his rehab assignment with Double-A Portland through the weekend, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The expectation had seemed to be that Reyes would be activated for the start of the second half, but the Red Sox have opted to give him a few more rehab games. Presumably, he'll be back early next week. Reyes is working his way back from an abdominal strain, and he figures to rejoin the shortstop mix upon his return.

Barger is hitting .222 with three doubles, four walks and six strikeouts in six games since returning from an elbow injury for Triple-A Buffalo.

Barger has been limited to 32 Triple-A games this season due to that elbow injury, and he has not produced when he has been in the lineup for the Bisons. He is slashing .226/.329/.331 with two home runs and one steal in 143 plate appearances, as his development seems to have stalled for the moment.

Story (elbow) is throwing from 160-170 feet, MLB.com reports.

Story will continue to work out at Fenway Park during the All-Star break and is optimistic about beginning a rehab assignment shortly after the break. "I'm almost there," Story said. "I think we'll have a rehab assignment pretty quick after the All-Star break, not exactly sure when." The rehab assignment can be a maximum of 20 days, and Red Sox expect him back at some point during August.

Volpe went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's loss against the Cubs.

After going hitless in three straight games (0-for-11), Volpe delivered a two-run home run off Kyle Hendricks that plated Billy McKinney in the sixth inning. The long ball was his 13th of the season but also marked his third in July. Through 91 games, Volpe is slashing .216/.287/.395 with 16 stolen bases and is striking out at a 28.9 percent clip.