MLB Player News

Moncada is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

Moncada will take a seat for the second time in the first three games of the second half, with both his absences coming against left-handed pitchers. The switch hitter has gone 2-for-19 versus southpaws this season, which stands in stark contrast to his .945 OPS against righties. Kevin Newman is starting at third base Sunday, as it appears he and Moncada are working in a loose platoon.

Loftin is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

Loftin has a .684 OPS in 13 games since the beginning of July and will head to the bench Sunday after starting the first two games out of the All-Star break. Adam Frazier is starting in left field and batting seventh in the series finale at Miami.

Suarez (shoulder) is expected to face hitters in live batting practice before the end of July, MLB.com reports.

Suarez was cleared to throw off a mound earlier this month and tossed his most recent bullpen session Saturday. The right-hander is recovering from a subscapularis strain. Suarez made 24 starts for the Orioles in 2024, but he made his lone appearance this season out of the bullpen before he landed on the shelf. He's likely in line for a relief role once he returns from the 60-day injured list, but not needing to be stretched out for a starting job should shorten his rehab program.

Bradish (elbow) will report to High-A Aberdeen on Thursday to make his first rehab start, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Bradish made it through a two-inning simulated game Saturday without issue, and he'll now take the next step in his recovery from last June's Tommy John surgery with an internal brace. Prior to sustaining his elbow injury, Bradish opened the 2024 campaign in impressive fashion with a 2.75 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 53:15 K:BB through 39.1 innings over eight starts. Expectations for the 28-year-old righty should be tempered upon his eventual return from the 60-day injured list, however, as he could need time to regain his pre-surgery velocity and command.

Povich (hip) is slated to make his next rehab start Thursday or Friday with Triple-A Norfolk, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

His rehab stint was initially paused in late June due to renewed soreness in his hip, but Povich resumed the assignment July 13. He's pitched effectively in his last two outings between High-A Aberdeen and Norfolk, covering 6.1 innings over those starts while striking out nine and allowing one earned run on three hits and one walk. He tossed 62 pitches Saturday for Norfolk, so the southpaw will likely look to push his pitch count into the 70-80 range next week, setting him up to potentially rejoin the big-league rotation afterward.

Kwan (wrist) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

The outfielder said Saturday that his wrist is feeling better after receiving an injection Wednesday, but he'll still sit Sunday for the third straight game coming out of the All-Star break. Nolan Jones will again man left field in place of Kwan, opening up right field for Johnathan Rodriguez.

Eflin (back) struck out five and allowed five unearned runs on three hits and one walk over four innings in a rehab start Thursday in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.

The appearance in the FCL was the second of Eflin's rehab assignment, which he kicked off last Sunday with a four-inning, 58-pitch outing for Double-A Chesapeake. He tacked on an additional 10 pitches to his workload Thursday, then said Friday that he feels good physically and believes he's ready to return from the 15-day injured list, according to Jake Rill of MLB.com. If the Orioles concur with Eflin's assessment of his health, he could step back into the big-league rotation for Wednesday's game in Cleveland.

Medina (elbow) still lacks a firm return date from his August 2024 Tommy John surgery, MLB.com reports.

The right-hander began throwing from 105 feet on flat ground in early June, but there's been no update on his progress since. The best-case scenario for Medina would have him rejoin the big-league staff in September, but he'll need to begin a rehab assignment fairly soon if a 2025 return is going to be on the table.

Bregman is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs, Christopher of Smith of MassLive.com reports.

As reported earlier in the weekend, the Red Sox are managing Bregman's playing time early on in his return from a quadriceps injury. Marcelo Mayer will start at third base in Sunday's series finale. Bregman is expected to start the first two games of the series against the Phillies on Monday and Tuesday.

Rafaela will start at second base and bat third Sunday against the Cubs, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

This will be Rafaela's second start at the keystone in the last week. Red Sox manager Alex Cora is following through on a statement from last week, when he said he planned on using Rafaela one of two times per week at second base in order to get as many lefty hitters into the lineup as possible against right-handed pitching.