MLB Player News

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Anthony (oblique) will be placed on the injured list later Wednesday and is in line for an extended absence, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. "He has an oblique strain," Cora said. "Timetable, we don't know...Usually takes from 4-to-6 weeks."

After departing Tuesday's 11-7 win over the Guardians with what the Red Sox termed as left oblique tightness, the standout rookie appears likely to miss the rest of the regular season with an MRI on Wednesday confirming a strain. Whether Anthony is able to return for the postseason will depend on how deep into October the Red Sox are able to advance should they clinch a playoff spot, as well as how quickly the 21-year-old is cleared to resume baseball activities. The loss of Anthony will likely result in Ceddanne Rafaela moving back to center field on a full-time basis, allowing Romy Gonzalez and David Hamilton to receive most of the reps at second base. Before suffering the oblique injury, Anthony had established himself as a franchise building block, slashing .292/.396/.463 with eight home runs, four stolen bases, 48 runs and 32 RBI through his first 303 big-league plate appearances.

O'Neill (wrist) will progress to all baseball activities this weekend before beginning a rehab assignment next week if all goes well, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

O'Neill has been sidelined since early August with right wrist inflammation but has made strides in his recovery recently. He shouldn't require too many rehab games before being activated from the 10-day injured list, setting O'Neill up for a return by mid-September, barring any setbacks.

Rivera will start at third base and bat cleanup in Wednesday's game against the Padres.

He'll draw his third consecutive start at the hot corner and looks like he'll have an opportunity to play on a frequent basis until the Orioles get either of Jordan Westburg (ankle) or Tyler O'Neill (wrist) back from the injured list. Rivera has been running hot at the plate since being called up from Triple-A Norfolk last Wednesday, going 6-for-17 with six RBI.

Westburg (ankle) is expected to begin a rehab assignment within the next week, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Westburg's recovery from a right ankle sprain started out slowly, but he's made notable progress of late and is almost ready for game action. The infielder should be ready for activation from the 10-day injured list by mid-September as long as he continues to move in a positive direction.

Henderson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.

In what appears to be a routine rest for a day game after a night game, Henderson will exit the Baltimore lineup for just the third time since the beginning of July. With Henderson receiving a breather, the Orioles will turn over shortstop to Luis Vazquez in the series finale.

Basallo is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

The Orioles are wrapping up their series in San Diego with a day game, so Basallo will receive a break after he had started at catcher or designated hitter in each of the previous four contests. Alex Jackson will step in behind the plate Wednesday, while Ryan Mountcastle serves as Baltimore's DH.

Beavers is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

With a lefty (Nestor Cortes) on the hill for San Diego, the left-handed-hitting Beavers will retreat to the bench after a stretch of five consecutive starts. Since receiving his first MLB call-up Aug. 16, Beavers is hitting .314 with one home run, one stolen base and a 16.4 percent walk rate through 61 plate appearances. The 24-year-old outfielder should get the chance to play on a near-everyday basis for the rest of the season.

Anthony has a "high probability" of landing on the 10-day injured list after suffering an oblique injury in Tuesday's 11-7 win over the Guardians, sources tell Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.

Anthony was sent for an MRI on Wednesday, and though the Red Sox are still waiting for the results, the team seems resigned to putting the rookie outfielder on the IL. Anthony will be eligible for activation Sept. 13, but his chances of being ready by that date will depend on the severity of the injury. Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela will handle two outfield spots while Anthony is out, with Rob Refsnyder and Masataka Yoshida in the mix for the third spot, at least until Anthony and/or Wilyer Abreu (calf) return. Nick Sogard is expected to be called up from Triple-A Worcester to take Anthony's spot on the active roster, though Kristian Campbell could eventually get another look in the majors.

Alvarez slashed .301/.419/.455 with two home runs, 11 steals, a 12 percent walk rate and a 9.9 percent strikeout rate in 47 games in the Dominican Summer League.

The lefty-hitting Cuban outfielder was one of the prizes of this year's international signing class and he has lived up to the hype. While his over-the-fence power was lacking, Alvarez banged 12 doubles and got the ball in the air consistently (38.5 percent groundball rate). His swing decisions were very strong, and he's a good runner for his size (6-foot-4, 184 pounds), so Alvarez has a chance to be a five-category fantasy outfielder in four or five years.

Ortiz is slashing .269/.370/.538 with six home runs and a 28.3 percent strikeout rate in 23 games for Triple-A Round Rock.

The lefty slugger's production has been 20 percent better than the average Pacific Coast League hitter in his first taste of the highest level of the minors. Ortiz, 23, repeated Double-A this year and slashed .247/.343/.444 with 16 home runs and a 22.3 percent strikeout rate in 89 games for Frisco before getting promoted to the Express on Aug. 5. He has started seven games in right field and 15 games at first base since getting to Triple-A. Texas will need to add Ortiz to the 40-man roster this offseason or leave him exposed to the Rule 5 draft.