MLB Player News

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said after Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Angels that Soderstrom was removed in the bottom of the third inning due to left hip tightness, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports. Soderstrom struck out in his lone at-bat before departing.

Kotsay indicated that Soderstrom will be re-evaluated Sunday, which likely indicates that the 24-year-old won't be featured in the lineup for the series finale. The Athletics should have a better sense of Soderstrom's outlook once the evaluation is completed, but a lengthy absence would open the door for Carlos Cortes and Colby Thomas to see more opportunities.

Martinez (foot) has shed his walking boot, is playing catch and hitting off a batting tee, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

It's encouraging that Martinez has begun baseball activities already, but there's been no word his four-to-six week timeline has been adjusted. That likely means a return after the All-Star break. The 24-year-old switch hitter has a career-high .718 OPS, 11 homers and nine steals through 66 games this season.

Thomas went 1-for-3 with one RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Angels.

Thomas' steal was his first of the campaign. The outfielder has largely filled a depth role this season. Prior to Saturday, he went 0-for-16 with seven strikeouts across his previous nine games, so he hasn't done much to make a case for more playing time. He's batting .211 with a .577 OPS, two home runs, seven RBI, eight runs scored and two doubles over 76 plate appearances.

Lowe went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Athletics.

This was his second steal of the season. Lowe has gone 4-for-10, albeit with three strikeouts, over three games since he rejoined the Angels' big-league roster Wednesday. Lowe stayed on the roster when Jose Siri (paternity) was activated Saturday, as Christian Moore was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake instead. Lowe is now batting .200 with a .564 OPS, five home runs, 14 RBI, nine runs scored and two doubles over 144 plate appearances in the majors this season. He'll likely have the chance to stay with the big club until Mike Trout (hamstring) is ready to return.

Larnach went 3-for-5 with a double, a run and three RBI in a loss to the Rockies on Saturday.

Larnach logged three of Minnesota's five total hits in the loss and plated the team's final three runs with a double in the ninth inning. The veteran outfielder has been red hot of late, collecting six multi-hit performances over his past nine games and batting a blazing .472 (17-for-36) with two homers, four doubles and 10 RBI over that span. On the season, Larnach is slashing .288/.381/.434 with five home runs, 37 runs, 27 RBI and two stolen bases across 68 contests.

Montgomery went 2-for-4 with an RBI on Saturday against the Royals.

Montgomery grounded into a double play in the second inning, but he had three consecutive productive at-bats thereafter. He now has at least one hit in five of his last seven starts while also walking four times with six strikeouts in that span. Montgomery is hitting .246 across his first 63 plate appearances in the majors, though he's gone 8-for-25 (.320 average) with four extra-base hits in his last seven games.

Arozarena went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in a loss to the Guardians on Saturday.

Seattle was being shut out until Arozarena connected for a three-run blast in the eighth inning to bring his team to within a run. He absorbed a hit-by-pitch in the following frame to put the tying run on second base, but the Mariners comeback bid ultimately fell short. Saturday's long ball was Arozarena's first in five contests since being activated from the IL on June 23. He's gone 4-for-17 since his return.

Fraley (hernia) began a rehab assignment with the rookie-level Florida Complex League on Saturday, going 0-for-3 as the designated hitter.

Fraley is expected to get a few more at-bats at the rookie level before joining Triple-A Durham on Tuesday. Manager Kevin Cash believes the outfielder is on a "really good schedule," per MLB.com. Fraley has been on the injured list with a hernia for about a month and a half, but he has a chance to return to the Rays prior to the All-Star break in mid-July.

Trout (hamstring) took 30 swings and ran at about 50 percent intensity Saturday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Trout said he took 15 swings off a tee and 15 flips, so he's not yet ready to bat in the cage or face live pitching. Still, it's notable progress for the veteran outfielder, who resumed on-field activities Tuesday. Given that he still has multiple obstacles to clear -- most importantly, running at full capacity -- Trout probably won't be activated until at least early July.

Carpenter went 2-for-4 with a grand slam in Saturday's 8-6 loss to the Astros.

The 28-year-old slugger came to the plate with the bases loaded in the third inning and got hold of a hanging curveball from Kai-Wei Teng, depositing it in the right-field seats. It was Carpenter's 12th homer of the year and, remarkably, the first grand slam of the season for the Tigers. Carpenter's gone yard in back-to-back games, and over 22 contests in June he's batting .234 (15-for-64) with seven long balls and 18 RBI.