MLB Player News

Thomas went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's win over the Nationals.

Thomas was one of four Royals to go deep, blasting an elevated fastball from Zack Littell over the wall in left-center field for a solo shot in the third inning. It marked Thomas' second homer in as many games and his third over the past five contests. The outfielder is slashing .267/.389/.556 with four homers, eight RBI and nine runs scored through 15 appearances in June. He started in center field Wednesday and has seen regular looks there and in right field of late, with Kyle Isbel (foot) hurt and Jac Caglianone shifting to first base in the absence of Vinnie Pasquantino (hand).

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Thursday that Varsho (wrist) could be activated from the 10-day injured list when first eligible Saturday, but he will "have to do a lot today and tomorrow" in order to make that happen, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Varsho resumed hitting this week as he works his way back from left wrist inflammation. If the outfielder is not quite ready to return to the active roster this weekend, he might need a rehab game or two in order to knock the rust off. Nathan Lukes and Myles Straw have been handling center field for Toronto since Varsho went down.

Santander (shoulder) could resume hitting within the next week, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Santander underwent surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder in February, but he "could definitely be a factor" for the Blue Jays by August, manager John Schneider said Thursday. A timetable for Santander's return won't become clearer until he's ready for a rehab assignment, and he will need the equivalent of a full spring training's worth of at-bats before being activated.

Kwan is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game in Milwaukee.

The left-handed-hitting Kwan is slashing just .162/.284/.203 versus lefty pitchers this season, and this is the fifth time over the last seven contests that he's been out of the lineup against a southpaw (in this case, Shane Drohan). David Fry will handle left field and Stuart Fairchild will play center field for the Guardians.

Fry started in right field and went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 9-4 loss to Milwaukee.

After the Guardians learned that Chase DeLauter (ribs) would be unable to play through his injury and added him to the 10-day injured list, Fry filled the spot in right field the last two games. It's unclear if that will be a long-term solution, however. Cleveland called up prospect Kahlil Watson on Wednesday, and he should be part of the mix. Besides now having Watson at his disposal, manager Stephen Vogt likes having Fry in a utility role.

Antonacci went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Yankees.

Antonacci flipped to the bottom of the order with lefty Carlos Rodon on the mound, but he still managed to pop his third home run of the season in the ninth inning against Jake Bird. Antonacci has now gone yard in two of his last three starts, and he also has at least one hit in six of his last seven games. Despite that recent power surge, Antonacci's primary fantasy appeal remains his ability to make consistent contact, get on base and score runs, as he has a .279 batting average with 33 runs scored across 54 games.

Bolte went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 12-4 loss to the Pirates.

After seeing a seven-game hitting streak snapped Tuesday while striking out three times, Bolte went deep in the seventh inning Wednesday for his second homer of June. The outfielder is hitting .310 with an .801 OPS, two homers, eight RBI, 11 runs scored, five doubles and six stolen bases over 32 contests this year. Bolte hit for modest power in the minors, aside from earlier this year when he clubbed 12 homers in 37 games for Triple-A Las Vegas prior to his call-up to the majors. His contact skills have been better than expected early in his big-league career, though he still has a 29.2 percent strikeout rate.

Rodriguez was pulled from Wednesday's game against Baltimore due to hamstring spasms, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Manager Dan Wilson said that Rodriguez's hamstring began to bother him after he made a leaping grab in center field, so the Mariners took him out of the game as a precaution. The team may err on the side of caution and hold him out of Thursday's series finale as well, though no decision has been made just yet.

Schneemann went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Wednesday's loss to the Brewers.

The Guardians' only runs of the game came off Schneemann's blast to right field off Brandon Sproat in the fourth inning for his second homer in the past three contests. Schneemann started the game at third base, filling in for the injured Jose Ramirez (hand). The 29-year-old Schneemann figures to see plenty of action at the hot corner going forward with Ramirez out but will likely continue to be utilized across the diamond.

Rodriguez was removed from Wednesday's game against the Orioles with an apparent injury, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Rodriguez went 1-for-3 with a run scored and two strikeouts before leaving the game in the seventh inning. The details of his injury remain unknown, but the Mariners should provide some clarity in the near future.