MLB Player News

The Red Sox won't activate Chang (wrist) from the 10-day injured list this week as anticipated after he experienced renewed soreness in his surgically repaired left hand, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Chang required surgery in late April to repair a fractured left hamate bone and experienced two setbacks while on a rehab assignment. The Red Sox are hopeful that he can get back into rehab games next week, but a timetable for his return now appears up in the air.

Story (elbow) was spotted playing catch from 120 feet Monday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Story had been playing catch from 105 feet at this point last week, so he's taken another marginal step forward in his recovery from elbow surgery by stretching his long-toss distance out another 15 feet. The 30-year-old should continue to gradually increase the distance and intensity of his throwing, but the Red Sox could bring him back from the 60-day injured list as a designated hitter initially rather than immediately installing him as their everyday shortstop. Story still appears to be targeting somewhere around the All-Star break for his season debut.

Velazquez (undisclosed) began a rehab assignment with the Angels' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate last Wednesday and has gone 3-for-10 with a double, a triple, a walk, two RBI and two runs through three games.

Velazquez has been sidelined at Triple-A Salt Lake since late April due to an unspecified injury. The 28-year-old infielder spent nearly all of the 2022 campaign in the big leagues, but he was optioned to the minors in spring training coming off a season in which he slashed a dismal .196/.236/.304 with a 34.1 percent strikeout rate across 349 plate appearances with the Angels.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a win over the Brewers on Sunday.

Smith joined the Athletics' offensive barrage in the seventh inning, leaving the yard via a 383-foot shot to left field for his fourth homer of the season. The shortstop had been mired in a 3-for-20 slump over the eight games prior to Sunday's, but manager Mark Kotsay appears committed to continuing to afford Smith near-everyday playing time for the moment.

Downs (undisclosed) began a rehab assignment Thursday with the Nationals' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate and has gone 0-for-2 with three walks and a run over two games.

Downs has been on the shelf at Triple-A Rochester for nearly a month due to an unspecified injury, but he looks as though he's on the mend. Prior to being deactivated, the 24-year-old infielder hit .154 with no home runs and three stolen bases over 49 plate appearances in the International League.

Lindor went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Sunday's loss to the Pirates.

The Mets managed only three hits and one run on the day, but Lindor found a way to contribute a little value. The pilfer was his second in the last four games and sixth of the year, but the shortstop has struggled to find any kind of consistency on offense this season. Over the last month, Lindor is slashing just .205/.256/.402 in 28 games with six homers, two steals, 14 runs and 16 RBI.

Tovar went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Padres.

Tovar opened the scoring in the first inning with his fifth homer of the year. He's hit safely in nine of 10 games during June, going 12-for-38 (.316) with five extra-base hits and five RBI. The shortstop continues to see regular playing time, and he's posted a .253/.295/.412 slash line with 27 RBI, three stolen bases and 30 runs scored over 63 contests.

Neto went 2-for-4 with two solo homers and three runs scored in Sunday's win over Seattle.

Neto ripped a solo homer in the second and eighth innings, snapping a 14-game homerless drought. After ending May in a 1-for-19 skid, the rookie shortstop has gone 8-for-23 (.348) with a 4:5 BB:K and seven runs scored in June. He boosted his season slash line to .253/.337/.404 with 15 extra-base hits, five steals and 20 RBI through 190 plate appearances.

Mauricio will undergo an MRI on his ankle in the coming days, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Mauricio was involved in a collision at second base at Triple-A Syracuse on June 4, and although he's appeared in games recently, he'll undergo further testing to determine the extent of his ankle injury. As long as the issue isn't serious, he could be in the mix to be called up relatively soon since he's slashing .320/.360/.524 with eight homers, 38 runs, 35 RBI and nine stolen bases in the minors this year.

Franco went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Rangers.

Franco went over a month between homers, with his last coming May 9 in Baltimore. The shortstop hit a solid .276 over that 27-game span, but he slugged just .362 in the same stretch. His long ball Sunday was his career-best eighth of the campaign, coming in just his 63rd contest. He's added 32 RBI, 41 runs scored, 22 stolen bases, 19 doubles and two triples while slashing .299/.360/.486.