MLB Player News

Barger (elbow) began a rehab assignment June 8 and has gone 1-for-10 with three walks and a run over four games between the Blue Jays' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate and Single-A Dunedin.

Before starting his rehab assignment, Barger hadn't played since April 28 due to the right elbow, so he may require a few more games in the lower levels of the minors to get his timing back at the plate before he returns from Triple-A Buffalo's 7-day injured list. Barger slashed .237/.333/.329 with an 11.6 percent walk rate and 31 percent strikeout rate in 87 plate appearances at Buffalo prior to being shut down with the injury.

Witt went 3-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to the Reds.

Witt has maintained a hot bat in June, hitting .319 (15-for-47) over his last 12 games. He's driven in four runs over his last four contests as well. While a .244 batting average and .707 OPS aren't all that impressive, the talented shortstop is showing a few more flashes of potential lately. He's added 11 home runs, 21 stolen bases, 31 RBI and 40 runs scored over 67 contests this season.

Allen, who went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases in Triple-A Las Vegas' win over Reno on Wednesday, is hitting .400 (8-for-20) over the five games he's played for the Aviators since being demoted June 6.

A rough stint against big-league arms that saw Allen slash an anemic .167/.205/.167 across his last 15 games with the Athletics prompted the move back down to the farm. Allen struck out at just a 15.6 percent clip in that span, but a minuscule 9.1 percent line-drive rate helped lead to an atypically low .200 BABIP during the stretch. Now back in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, the 24-year-old looks like a different player, already racking up a trio of multi-hit efforts and four extra-base hits during his brief return. Allen owns a .354 average and .973 OPS at the Triple-A level overall this season (95 plate appearances), and given Oakland's non-contending status, he's a virtual lock to get another look in the majors before season's end if he continues to thrive.

Hamilton (thumb) was activated off the injured list and started at DH for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Hamilton had a pair of hits and walks during the WooSox's 13-5 win over Norfolk after being on the shelf for the previous two weeks. He was also caught stealing for the sixth time in 32 tries this season.

Reyes started at shortstop and went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Wednesday's 6-3 win over Colorado.

Reyes made a second straight start at shortstop as part of manager Alex Cora's overhaul of the infield. He became the team's primary shortstop over Enrique Hernandez, whose 14 errors leads MLB. Cora added that Reyes is not viewed as an everyday player, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, and will be replaced once Yu Chang (wrist) is ready to come off the injured list.

Seager went 1-for-3 with a walk and solo home run in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Angels.

Seager's blast in the seventh inning -- the second of back-to-back homers -- provided the winning run. He's homered in two consecutive games and three times over the last five. The 29-year-old shortstop has been on a remarkable tear since returning from a hamstring injury in May, slashing .356/.395/.683 with eight home runs, 32 RBI and 20 runs over 25 games.

Neto was removed from Wednesday's game due to cramping in his left side.

The team described Neto's injury as a precaution, so it's likely he'll be able to return to the Angels' lineup without missing much time, if any. The 22-year-old shortstop was enjoying a nice four-game hit streak entering Wednesday while slashing .467/.467/1.200 in that span.

Neto was removed from Wednesday's game against Texas for undisclosed reasons, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Jared Walsh entered the game to pinch hit for Neto in the second inning, and the Angels have yet to announce a reason for Neto's removal. The team should provide an update relatively soon, and Neto should be considered day-to-day until more is known.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said Wednesday that Mondesi (knee) hasn't suffered a setback but rather is still working to regain strength in his surgically repaired left knee, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Bloom was addressing reporters one day after it was reported that Mondesi has been shut down from all baseball activities. He noted that the team has "been working hard to get strength back in that leg" so that Mondesi can progress to game action, but "there's been this recurrent soreness" that hasn't allowed it to happen, so the club is hitting the pause button. Mondesi almost certainly isn't going to come back before the All-Star break at this point, if he makes it back at all this season.

Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters before Wednesday's game against Washington that Pena (illness) will return to the lineup Thursday versus the Nationals, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Pena has not played since Sunday while dealing with his illness, but assuming he's feeling well enough to play, he should be back for the series finale against the Nationals.