MLB Player News

Langford (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco on Thursday.

It may be the only rehab game he plays, as Langford is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list prior to Saturday's game in San Diego, presuming all goes well. Langford has been sidelined since late June with a left oblique strain.

The Yankees signed Lopez to a minor-league contract Thursday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

The Yankees have one of the worst defensive infields in baseball, so signing the light-hitting but slick-fielding Lopez as a depth addition is sensible. Lopez has gone 1-for-24 at the plate during stints this season between the Angels and Cubs and will report to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The Orioles optioned Carlson to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

His roster spot will be filled by Tyler O'Neill (shoulder), who is slated to come off the 10-day injured list prior to Friday's game in Atlanta. Carlson has a .650 OPS with four homers in 118 plate appearances across his multiple stints with the Orioles in 2025.

Wallner went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Thursday's 4-1 loss to Miami.

Wallner broke the Marlins' shutout attempt in the seventh inning, when he took Cade Gibson deep to center field for a solo home run. It was Wallner's eighth home run of the season, six of which have come since the beginning of June. That hasn't masked the 27-year-old outfielder's struggles at the plate this season, as he sports a .199/.295/.444 slash line with 14 RBI and a 28.9 percent strikeout rate in 173 plate appearances.

Bichette (knee) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees.

Bichette tweaked his right knee when he stepped on a ball during batting practice prior to Monday's game versus the Yankees, and he will wind up being out of the lineup for all four games of the series. Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Bichette should be available off the bench, however, and it's "very realistic" the shortstop will be back in the lineup for Friday's game versus the Angels, per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. Ernie Clement will again handle shortstop, while Will Wagner will be to Clement's right at third base.

Gimenez isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees.

Gimenez will take a seat for Thursday's series finale after going 5-for-8 with a homer, three RBI and four runs scored over his last two games. Leo Jimenez will fill in at the keystone for Toronto and bat ninth.

Festa (2-3) took the loss against the Marlins on Thursday, allowing four runs on five hits and one walk while striking out seven across six innings.

Festa put the Twins behind early after yielding three runs in the first inning, highlighted by a two-run home run by Agustin Ramirez. Festa gave up another run in the third, but he settled in over his final three innings -- striking out six batters over that span -- yet didn't receive enough run support to fade the loss. He has a 7.28 ERA (in 29.2 innings) across six starts since being promoted from Triple-A St. Paul in early June, but that number is inflated by two outings in which he gave up eight runs apiece. Festa is slated to face the Cubs at home next week, which will likely be his last turn in the rotation before the All-Star break.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said that Pena (rib) could resume baseball activities this weekend, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Pena has been resting for the past few days after landing on the 10-day injured list Monday with a small rib fracture on his left side, but it sounds like he could start ramping things up soon. A timetable for the shortstop's return could become clearer after he advances in those activities.

McCormick (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

McCormick has been shelved since late May with a left oblique strain but is finally ready to test things out in game action. If all goes well, he has a shot for activation from the 10-day injured list prior to the All-Star break. McCormick was playing sparingly before getting hurt and that's unlikely to change upon his return.

Alvarez was administered two injections in his right hand after a hand specialist determined Wednesday that the Alvarez is dealing with inflammation, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Alvarez experienced renewed soreness in the hand Tuesday after ramping up baseball activities, prompting a visit to the specialist. Additional imaging revealed that the main cause of the discomfort is inflammation, and the previously discovered fracture is a non-factor in Alvarez's soreness. Alvarez will be shut down for a few days before being re-evaluated. While the latest news is about as good as Alvarez and the Astros could have hoped for, there is no timetable for the resumption of his hitting progression or for his return to the active roster.