MLB Player News

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.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that he expects Griffin (forearm) to play in minor-league rehab games by the end of the week, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Griffin has been rehabbing in Florida since landing on the shelf May 31 due to a right forearm strain, but he's expected to head north to Pittsburgh for an evaluation early this week before linking up with a minor-league affiliate. Throwing at full strength and velocity seems to be the biggest concern for Griffin as he works his way back from the injury, and the rookie phenom appears to be making progress on that front. Per MLB.com, Pirates manager Don Kelly said Saturday that Griffin has extended his throwing distance to 150 feet and was clocked at 89 mph while throwing from third base to first.

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.

De La Cruz (hamstring) is expected to be reinstated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's game against the Brewers, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

After playing on three consecutive days for Triple-A Louisville during his rehab assignment over the weekend, De La Cruz will be given a chance to rest Monday as the Reds open their three-game set with the Brewers, but he looks like he'll be available for the final two contests of the series. De La Cruz's return will bump Matt McLain back over to second base, where he'll have to compete for playing time with Spencer Steer and rookie Edwin Arroyo.

Mateo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

Mateo will head back to the bench after he had started at shortstop in three straight games, going 1-for-7 with a run scored. Though Atlanta will replace Mateo in the lineup with Ha-Seong Kim on Sunday, both players could find playing time at shortstop more difficult to come by when the team faces right-handed pitching. Mauricio Dubon may be the top choice to cover shortstop on those occasions, which will allow Mike Yastrzemski and Eli White to serve as Atlanta's primary options at the corner outfield spots while Ronald Acuna (hamstring) remains on the shelf.

Ortiz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.

Ortiz had started at third base in each of the last three games while the Brewers went up against lefties, but he'll hit the bench Sunday while right-hander Bryce Elder toes the rubber for Atlanta. The 27-year-old looks as though he'll have to settle for the short side of a platoon with David Hamilton following the recent promotion of shortstop Cooper Pratt from Triple-A Nashville.

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.

Lee went 4-for-6 with a triple, a double, two RBI and three runs scored in Saturday's 16-8 win over the Diamondbacks.

Lee has collected four extra-base hits over his last four games. He led the charge with four of the Twins' hits Saturday, making him one of six Minnesota batters to log multiple hits in the contest. The infielder is batting .245 with a .736 OPS, 12 home runs, 44 RBI, 36 runs scored, 11 doubles, two triples and three stolen bases over 74 contests this season. Even with the big effort Saturday, Lee is hitting just .217 in June.

Turner went 2-for-5 with one RBI and three runs scored in Saturday's 15-3 win over the Mets.

Turner set the tone for a rout by the Phillies, scoring three runs in a game for the first time this season. The shortstop may be turning a corner after going 5-for-10 over his past two full games, excluding Thursday's contest in which he left after getting hit by a pitch in his only plate appearance. On the year, he's slashing .226/.278/.336 with seven homers, 22 RBI, 46 runs scored and 15 steals across 324 plate appearances.