MLB Player News

Spiers (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment July 3 with the Reds' affiliate in the Arizona Complex League, MLB.com reports.

Spiers will be limited to three innings in his first outing for the ACL Reds. The right-hander has been on the injured list -- first the 15-day before shifting to the 60-day IL -- since April 20 with what was described as a shoulder impingement. Given the need for Spiers to build up innings and pitch counts, he's looking at multiple rehab starts before activation.

Abel didn't throw a pitch in Friday's 13-0 rout of Atlanta due to a two-hour, 19-minute rain delay.

Both scheduled starting pitchers had already warmed up before the umpiring crew signaled for the delay, but Philly elected not to send Abel to the mound when play finally began and went with a bullpen game instead, while Altanta stuck with Bryce Elder. It's not clear yet if Abel will have his turn skipped completely, or if the Phillies will use the hiccup to shuffle their rotation.

Burleson went 2-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Friday's 5-0 win over the Guardians.

The 26-year-old took Luis L. Ortiz deep in the third inning, giving Sonny Gray more than enough run support as the right-hander faced one batter over the minimum in his fifth career shutout. Burleson is putting the finishing touches on a dazzling June that has seen him slash .337/.354/.598 with six of his 10 homers on the season, as well as 13 runs and 19 RBI in 24 contests.

Gray (8-2) picked up the win in Friday's 5-0 victory over the Guardians, allowing just one hit over nine scoreless innings. He struck out 11 without walking a batter.

A Nolan Jones single in the fifth inning was the only thing standing between Gray and a perfect game, as he fired 66 of 89 pitches for strikes in the fifth shutout of his career, and his first since 2015. The veteran right-hander also set a new season high with the 11 strikeouts, and he's reached double digits three times in his last seven starts, a stretch in which he's delivered a 2.06 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 50:5 K:BB over 43.2 innings. Gray will look to keep dealing in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road next week in Pittsburgh.

Graveman (hip) threw a bullpen session Friday, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.

This was Graveman's most significant activity since he was placed on the 10-day injured list with a hip impingement earlier this month. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said the right-hander felt good following the session, and the team will monitor his recovery from it.

Smith went 1-for-5 with two RBI in Friday's 9-8 loss to Miami.

Smith drew the Diamondbacks closer with a two-run single in the ninth inning, but the comeback stalled there. He's lifted his run production of late, knocking in 10 runs over the last eight games. That's a greater number of RBI than he had in the entire months of May/April or May. For the season, Smith has 27 RBI across 73 contests.

Suarez went 2-for-4 in Friday's 9-8 loss to the Marlins.

Suarez returned to action after missing two games with a hand injury following a hit-by-pitch in Monday's contest against the White Sox. Discounting Monday's game, when Suarez had just one plate appearance, Friday's multi-hit effort was his fourth in the last five contests. The third baseman has gone 12-for-22 (.545) with four home runs and nine RBI during that stretch.

Wood went 1-for-2 with three walks, one RBI, one stolen base and two runs scored in Friday's 15-9 win over the Angels.

Wood was one of two Nationals who failed to log a multi-hit effort, but he made up for it with his trio of walks. He also picked up his first steal since May 29 versus the Mariners -- he was caught stealing on his lone attempt in June prior to Friday. The 22-year-old burgeoning superstar has hit a small rough patch, going 1-for-10 over his last three games, but he's still at a .278/.377/.553 slash line with 22 home runs, 64 RBI, 52 runs scored and 10 thefts through 82 games on the year.

Garcia went 3-for-6 with two RBI and one run scored in Friday's 15-9 win over the Angels.

Garcia has put together a strong June, batting .317 (26-for-82) with 13 RBI and eight extra-base hits over 22 games this month. The second baseman was one of three Nationals to post a trio of hits in the team's 19-hit attack Friday. Garcia is up to a .273/.314/.424 slash line with seven home runs, 38 RBI, 37 runs scored, 19 doubles and seven stolen bases over 73 contests. He is holding down a strong-side platoon role at the keystone, with Amed Rosario encroaching on his playing time as a platoon partner after Garcia began the season drawing at least some starts versus southpaws.

Lowe went 3-for-6 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 15-9 win over the Angels.

Lowe had RBI doubles in the fifth and eighth innings. The first baseman has four multi-hit efforts over his last 10 games, going 11-for-42 (.262) in that span, which also includes four hitless games. He's been more in touch with his power and run production during this stretch, logging four home runs, three doubles and 10 RBI. Lowe is up to a .232/.295/.402 slash line with 13 homers, 54 RBI, 35 runs scored, 14 doubles and one stolen base through 82 games this season.