MLB Player News

Schanuel (ankle) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Friday.

Schanuel was placed on the 10-day injured list with left ankle inflammation May 27 and hasn't played since May 23. Prior to going down with the injury, Schanuel was slashing .262/.313/.387 with four home runs, 24 RBI, 18 runs scored and a 13:33 BB:K across 208 plate appearances. Schanuel's 6.3 percent walk rate is well below his 10.6 percent career average. Lacking power, Schanuel also owns a career-high 14.3 percent infield flyball rate this season.

The Red Sox intend to option Bello to Triple-A Worcester, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Bello was hammered for eight runs on seven hits and three walks across five innings in Thursday's loss to the Orioles. He had a brutal first inning, allowing nine of the first 10 batters to reach safely while being tagged for six runs. Through 61 innings this season, Bello has an ugly 6.34 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 44:24 K:BB, with a lot of those troubles coming during the first inning, when he's surrendered 15 earned runs. He'll try to iron things out in the minors with the hope of rejoining the Red Sox later this summer. Jake Bennett is believed to be a strong candidate to fill Bello's spot in the rotation, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com.

Arias (hamstring) started at shortstop and went 0-for-1 with a walk for Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.

Arias opened a rehab assignment with the Clippers and played five innings in the field before taking a seat for the final four frames. He's been out since early April, which suggests he'll use up most of the allotted 20 days for position players on a rehab assignment. Given the performances of Brayan Rocchio at shortstop and Travis Bazzana at second base, Arias may have to settle for a utility role once he's ready.

Bazzana was dropped from leadoff to cleanup Thursday and went 0-for-4 in a 2-1 loss to the Yankees.

Bazzana has thrived since being moved to leadoff, so it was strange to see him batting fourth. Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reported that the unique lineup configuration was an attempt to maximize the Guardians' offense against left-hander Carlos Rodon. Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt trotted out three right-handed batters to open the game, followed by the lefty-hitting Bazzana.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Thursday's 8-2 loss to Baltimore.

Contreras singled home a run in the sixth inning before connecting on a solo homer in the ninth. It was his team-high 12th home run to go along with a team-leading 35 RBI. A lot has gone wrong for Boston this season, but trading for Contreras over the winter has worked out well for the power-needy Red Sox.

Manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that Ohtani is dealing with a "small" blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand, but it's a "non-issue" for his pitching starts moving forward, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani was seen messing with the finger during Wednesday's start against Arizona, where he continued his dominance on the mound with six shutout innings to pick up his sixth win. He's out of the lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks, but it's a routine day off after making the start the night before. Ohtani is expected to be fine for his next start on the road against the Pirates next week and should be back in the lineup at DH versus the Angels on Friday.

Manager Torey Lovullo revealed that Clarke is expected to return from the bereavement list Sunday versus the Nationals, Jose M. Romero of The Arizona Republic reports.

With the right-hander returning Sunday, he will have spent the minimum three games on the bereavement list. Kade Strowd or Philip Abner are likely candidates to be sent down to make room for Clarke since they both joined the big club Thursday.

Rooker isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs due to knee soreness, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Manager Mark Kotsay said the decision to sit Rooker down for a day was precautionary, as the team didn't want to risk his soreness evolving into a more serious issue. Shea Langeliers will work as the Athletics' DH with Rooker on the bench, allowing Jonah Heim to start behind the plate.

The Rangers are expected to option Osuna to Triple-A Round Rock on Friday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Osuna is likely to lose his spot along with Cody Freeman in order for the Rangers to create roster space for Corey Seager (back) and another player -- presumably Wyatt Langford (forearm). Osuna has slashed .200/.261/.200 over the last seven games since May 28.

Sborz signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Thursday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Sborz was released by the Rangers on Monday after putting up an 8.16 ERA and 1.70 WHIP across 14.1 innings at Triple-A Round Rock. The 32-year-old righty will now return to the organization after testing the free-agent market, but he'll need to turn things around dramatically to have any chance at returning to the majors for the first time since 2024.