MLB Player News

Neto went 1-for-6 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 13-12 extra-inning win over the Astros.

Neto sparked one of the Angels' comebacks, going deep in the seventh inning to cut the deficit to four runs. The shortstop went 0-for-5 on Friday in his return from a month-long absence with an oblique injury. He should resume a starting role at shortstop at the expense of Luis Rengifo and Andrew Velazquez's playing time. Neto is slashing .249/.325/.427 with seven homers, 25 RBI, 25 runs scored and five stolen bases through 57 contests. Most interestingly, he's hit leadoff in the last two games and could stick atop the lineup for a while if his bat heats up.

Pena was removed from Saturday's game versus the Angels in the 10th inning with an apparent injury, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Pena looked to tweak something in the back of his right leg on a swing in the top of the 10th inning. He stayed in the game to finish his plate appearance but was removed for defense prior to the bottom of the frame. The Astros should have more on Pena's condition soon.

Abrams went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 9-6 loss against the Cardinals.

Abrams pegged Steven Matz for a solo shot in the third inning -- his first home run since June 21 -- and turned in his fourth straight multi-hit performance. Over that span, Abrams is 9-for-18 (.500) with six runs scored, two RBI and four stolen bases.

Story (elbow) won't begin a rehab assignment this weekend but will be re-evaluated early next week, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Reports from early July indicated that Story had a shot to begin his rehab assignment immediately after the break, but that was never officially confirmed as a definite plan, so the fact that he's not quite ready doesn't necessarily count as a setback. If he's cleared for game action early next week, he'll still have a chance to return sometime in early August.

Schmitt isn't starting Saturday against the Pirates, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Schmitt will get a breather Saturday after going 1-for-4 with a double during Friday's contest. Brett Wisely will take over at the keystone and bat ninth while Schmitt sits.

Neto went 0-for-5 with an RBI in a loss to the Astros on Friday.

Neto returned from a one-month stay on the injured list and batted leadoff for Los Angeles. He wasn't able to reach base but did drive in a run on a second-inning groundout. Neto had been hitting at the bottom of the order prior to getting hurt, so it remains to be seen if he'll stick in the leadoff spot moving forward.

Duran will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Guardians.

Duran closed the first half with four straight starts and started Friday's game as well, but he'll hit the bench Saturday with Mitch Garver taking over as the designated hitter. Duran should continue featuring regularly going forward, as he's broken out to the tune of a .303/.338/.518 slash line this season.

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.

Cubs manager David Ross said Saturday that Swanson (heel) likely won't return from the injured list when first eligible Sunday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Swanson has been on the IL since July 8 with a bruised left heel, and while he's been making steady progress, it will likely be a few more days before he's ready to return. Swanson has been able to hit and field grounders, but running is reportedly the main thing holding him back at this point.