MLB Player News

Bradford (rib/back) is scheduled to make a two-inning appearance out of the bullpen for Double-A Frisco on Tuesday in his next rehab outing, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Bradford began his rehab assignment Friday in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League, throwing one scoreless inning while striking out one batter. He'll shift his rehab program to Frisco as he continues to work his way back from a lower-back strain and stress fracture in his rib, injuries he sustained in mid-April. Bradford turned in a 3-0 record, 1.40 ERA and 0.62 WHIP over his three starts with the Rangers before landing on the injured list, but he'll serve as a multi-inning option out of the Texas bullpen once he's activated.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Monday that deGrom (elbow) is "getting close" to facing hitters, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

DeGrom will throw around 40 pitches in a bullpen session Tuesday and is slated for another bullpen session Friday. It sounds as if he should be cleared to face hitters after that, and Bochy added Monday that he anticipates deGrom needing three live batting practice sessions before being cleared for a rehab assignment. Given that timeline, it would seem as though deGrom won't be ready for his season debut until late August, at the earliest.

Mahle (elbow) will make his next rehab start Thursday with Double-A Frisco, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Mahle made the fourth start of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings while striking out three and allowing two hits and one walk. The 29-year-old right-hander continues to build up his pitch count while he works his way back from May 2023 Tommy John surgery, and he could be ready to return from the 60-day injured list in early August.

Volpe went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's win against the Rays.

Volpe took Rays starter Zack Littell deep in the second inning to record his seventh home run of the season. Volpe has come out of the All-Star break hot, batting 6-for-14 (.429) with three extra-base hits and four RBI in four games. The 23-year-old has had an up-and-down sophomore season, compiling a .251 batting average with seven home runs, 36 RBI, 63 runs scored and 17 steals in 101 games played.

Rodriguez (ankle) is absent from the lineup for Monday's game against the Angels.

It's no surprise Rodriguez is sitting out one day after he was removed from Sunday's game against the Astros with a right ankle sprain. X-rays came back clean and Rodriguez is considered day-to-day, but it's uncertain how long he might be sidelined before returning to action. Victor Robles is covering center field for Seattle on Monday.

Refsnyder (shoulder) will start in left field and bat second in Monday's game against the Rockies, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Refsnyder had been slated to start in Sunday's 9-6 loss to the Dodgers, but he was scratched from the lineup while he continued to deal with shoulder soreness, which stemmed from a defensive play the night before. The day off was apparently all Refsnyder needed for the issue to resolve itself, so he'll draw back into the lineup Monday while the Red Sox oppose another lefty in Austin Gomber.

Frazier will start at second base and bat leadoff in Monday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Though the versatile Frazier doesn't appear to have a permanent home at any one position, he's settled into an everyday role atop the batting order for Kansas City with MJ Melendez (ankle) landing on the injured list over the All-Star break. Frazier will serve as the Royals' table setter for the eighth straight contest, despite slashing an underwhelming .167/.259/.292 over the prior seven games.

The Astros designated Hensley for assignment Monday.

The transaction opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for utility man Aledmys Diaz, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Sugar Land. After reaching the big leagues for the first time in 2022, Hensley made two starts for the Astros' World Series-winning club later that fall, but he's struggled to stick around in the majors ever since. The 28-year-old posted a lowly .380 OPS over 94 plate appearances with Houston in 2023 and had spent the entire 2024 season at Sugar Land, with whom he slashed .234/.352/.376 with seven home runs and 17 stolen bases over 81 games before being designated for assignment.

The Astros optioned Kessinger to Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday.

Kessinger was moved off the 26-man active roster in favor of Aledmys Diaz, whose contract was selected ahead of Monday's game against the Athletics. After being called up from Sugar Land on July 2, Kessinger appeared in just four games and went hitless over four at-bats. He had been slashing .283/.356/.387 over 118 plate appearances with Sugar Land prior to his promotion.

Soto went 3-for-5 with two home runs and a double in Monday's win against the Rays, racking up four RBI and two runs scored.

Soto launched a solo home run in the seventh inning before belting a three-run shot in the eighth to extend the Yankees lead to 9-1. The 25-year-old has come out of the All-Star break on fire, going 11-for-18 (.611) with six extra-base hits, five RBI and seven runs scored in four contests. Soto has been magnificent in his first season in pinstripes, slashing .307/.433/.575 with 25 home runs, 71 RBI and 82 runs scored in 98 games played.