MLB Player News

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday that Jung (wrist) "looks great" after resuming hitting, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Jung was cleared to hit Tuesday following a visit with the doctor that performed the surgery on his right wrist in early April. He hit for a second straight day Wednesday while using a lighter bat, with Bochy saying afterward that "you'd think he was going to be ready in a couple of days" based on how he looked. Jung is not going to be ready to return soon, of course, but this is an encouraging progress report. A clearer timetable for the third baseman could be established in the coming days.

Langeliers went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in a win over the Rays on Tuesday.

The power-hitting backstop showed off his wheels Tuesday, recording his second steal on three attempts this season following an eighth-inning, two-out walk. Langeliers' .210 average and .280 on-base percentage on the season have plenty of room for improvement, but he carries an exponentially better .277/.365/.631 slash line that's partly constituted of 11 extra-base hits (four doubles, two triples, five home runs) and has recorded 14 RBI across his last 19 games.

Valdez joined the Red Sox in Baltimore but hasn't been officially recalled from Triple-A Worcester, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Outfielder/designated hitter Tyler O'Neill (knee) is back in Boston to undergo imaging, so Valdez will be part of the taxi squad for now while the Red Sox wait and see whether O'Neill requires a stint on the 10-day injured list. The 25-year-old Valdez has been playing first base and third base in addition to his familiar spot at second base while at Worcester, and is slashing .230/.360/.527 with six home runs and three steals in 20 games. He had a .452 OPS in 28 contests earlier this season with Boston.

Urena (lower leg) said that he's been cleared to start Friday against the Marlins, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

Urena departed his most recent start last Friday versus the Twins after being struck in the left foot/ankle area by a comebacker. He checked out fine, though, and isn't expected to have any limitations Friday against one of his former clubs. Urena has been surprisingly solid since sliding into the Texas rotation, holding a 2.78 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB over 22.2 innings covering four starts. That said, with Nathan Eovaldi returning from the injured list Tuesday and with Jon Gray (groin) potentially set to be activated next week, Urena wouldn't appear to be guaranteed any starts beyond Friday.

Semien is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Semien will get a day off for the first time since May 12, 2022, ending a streak of 349 consecutive regular-season starts. Though Semien isn't nursing a new injury, manager Bruce Bochy told Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News that the 33-year-old will be getting a couple days of rest -- Texas is off Thursday -- before returning to the lineup Friday in Miami since he's been playing a little banged up after he was involved in a collision in the outfield with teammate Adolis Garcia in a May 18 game. Ezequiel Duran will step in at second base in Semien's stead Wednesday, while designated hitter Travis Jankowski takes over Semien's spot atop the batting order.

Medina (knee) allowed two earned runs on four hits and two walks over 3.2 innings in Triple-A Las Vegas' win over Sugar Land on Tuesday. He struck out six and also hit two batters.

As his final line indicates, Medina's performance, which also included a balk, was a mixed bag, but it actually represented quite an improvement over his first two minor-league rehab outings. The right-hander worked up to 72 pitches, and both his innings pitched and strikeouts were new high-water marks for him during his rehab assignment. Medina may finally be starting to knock off some rust, but he'll likely be due for at least two more outings with the Aviators before activation is considered.

Wood (shoulder) is slated to begin playing catch this weekend, MLB.com reports.

The veteran southpaw hit the injured list May 15 with what was diagnosed as a rotator cuff strain, and he's been shut down from throwing since. The rest appears to be doing Wood some good if this latest news is any indication, and a decision on whether he'll eventually require a rehab assignment will likely be informed by how he progresses through his throwing program.

Stripling (elbow) has been shut down from throwing for up to 10 days, MLB.com reports.

Manager Mark Kotsay added that the veteran right-hander will be reevaluated after that point, but the news just adds to the misery of Stripling's first season in Oakland. Before going on the injured list Saturday, the 34-year-old had already tied a career worst with nine losses across his first 11 starts, and his 1.60 WHIP over that span also serves as a low-water mark over his first nine big-league seasons.

Saucedo (2-0) got the win against the Astros on Tuesday, firing a scoreless eighth inning during which he issued a walk and recorded a strikeout.

The veteran southpaw was making his first appearance since being activated off the injured list Sunday, and he served as an effective bridge to Ryne Stanek in the ninth with his clean inning. Saucedo has been effective all season when available, and he now owns a 1.54 ERA and 0.86 WHIP across the 11.2 innings covering his last 11 appearances.

Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI singles in a win over the Astros on Tuesday.

The surging slugger did it the small-ball way Tuesday, opening the scoring in the first inning with a timely knock that plated Josh Rojas before knocking in Ryan Bliss with an eighth-inning infield single. Rodriguez's bat has found life over the last four games, with Tuesday's tally qualifying as his third straight multi-hit effort and his pair of RBI pushing his total in that category over that span to seven.