MLB Player News

O'Neill (wrist) will progress to all baseball activities this weekend before beginning a rehab assignment next week if all goes well, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

O'Neill has been sidelined since early August with right wrist inflammation but has made strides in his recovery recently. He shouldn't require too many rehab games before being activated from the 10-day injured list, setting O'Neill up for a return by mid-September, barring any setbacks.

Beavers is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

With a lefty (Nestor Cortes) on the hill for San Diego, the left-handed-hitting Beavers will retreat to the bench after a stretch of five consecutive starts. Since receiving his first MLB call-up Aug. 16, Beavers is hitting .314 with one home run, one stolen base and a 16.4 percent walk rate through 61 plate appearances. The 24-year-old outfielder should get the chance to play on a near-everyday basis for the rest of the season.

Anthony has a "high probability" of landing on the 10-day injured list after suffering an oblique injury in Tuesday's 11-7 win over the Guardians, sources tell Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.

Anthony was sent for an MRI on Wednesday, and though the Red Sox are still waiting for the results, the team seems resigned to putting the rookie outfielder on the IL. Anthony will be eligible for activation Sept. 13, but his chances of being ready by that date will depend on the severity of the injury. Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela will handle two outfield spots while Anthony is out, with Rob Refsnyder and Masataka Yoshida in the mix for the third spot, at least until Anthony and/or Wilyer Abreu (calf) return. Nick Sogard is expected to be called up from Triple-A Worcester to take Anthony's spot on the active roster, though Kristian Campbell could eventually get another look in the majors.

Alvarez slashed .301/.419/.455 with two home runs, 11 steals, a 12 percent walk rate and a 9.9 percent strikeout rate in 47 games in the Dominican Summer League.

The lefty-hitting Cuban outfielder was one of the prizes of this year's international signing class and he has lived up to the hype. While his over-the-fence power was lacking, Alvarez banged 12 doubles and got the ball in the air consistently (38.5 percent groundball rate). His swing decisions were very strong, and he's a good runner for his size (6-foot-4, 184 pounds), so Alvarez has a chance to be a five-category fantasy outfielder in four or five years.

Ortiz is slashing .269/.370/.538 with six home runs and a 28.3 percent strikeout rate in 23 games for Triple-A Round Rock.

The lefty slugger's production has been 20 percent better than the average Pacific Coast League hitter in his first taste of the highest level of the minors. Ortiz, 23, repeated Double-A this year and slashed .247/.343/.444 with 16 home runs and a 22.3 percent strikeout rate in 89 games for Frisco before getting promoted to the Express on Aug. 5. He has started seven games in right field and 15 games at first base since getting to Triple-A. Texas will need to add Ortiz to the 40-man roster this offseason or leave him exposed to the Rule 5 draft.

Helman will start in center field and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

With Wyatt Langford recently shifting over to left field after super-utility man Josh Smith was moved back to the middle infield in the wake of Marcus Semien (foot) and Corey Seager (appendectomy) landing on the shelf, center field has been opened up for Helman. The 29-year-old will be occupying center for the sixth game in a row Tuesday after going 5-for-18 with three extra-base hits, three walks, one stolen base, four RBI and five runs over the previous five contests.

Garcia (quadriceps) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Alejandro Osuna will draw the start in right field while Garcia sits for the second straight day as he continues to manage a Grade 2 right quad strain. According to MLB.com, manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday that he expects Garcia to be out for a few more days, but the Rangers are optimistic that the veteran outfielder will avoid a stint on the injured list.

Rada is slashing .337/.462/.442 with one home run, 17 steals, a 16.5 percent walk rate and a 15.7 percent strikeout rate in 25 games for Triple-A Salt Lake.

While he's enjoying the hitter-friendly conditions of the Pacific Coast League, Rada's been 37 percent better than league average, thanks in part to a fortunate .413 BABIP. The 5-foot-9 Rada has hit six home runs in 406 career games and has typically been an extreme slash-and-dash hitter, logging high groundball rates and high opposite-field rates. However, at Triple-A, he has a career-high 41.8 percent pull rate, which at least opens the door for some power gains in the coming years if he can make similar strides with his groundball rate (54.8 percent at Triple-A). Rada, who turned 20 in August, is an above-average defensive center fielder and the youngest player to log over 100 plate appearances at Triple-A this season.

Alvarez is hitting .347 with zero home runs, seven steals and more walks (seven) than strikeouts (four) in 16 games for Single-A Inland Empire.

The righty-hitting center fielder slashed .335/.427/.429 with two home runs, 24 steals, a 14 percent walk rate and an 18.6 percent strikeout rate in 55 games in the Arizona Complex League before getting promoted to the 66ers on Aug. 2. Alvarez, 18, is a premium athlete with a projectable 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame, so there's power potential, but he'll need to get the ball in the air more frequently (55.2 percent groundball rate this season).

Manager A.J. Hinch said Monday that Vierling (oblique) has begun a hitting progression but isn't yet ready to head out on a rehab assignment, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. "He's taking indoor swings and still doing some defensive work. He's just not full-go yet," Hinch said. "Given the time of year and the nature of the injury, a setback would likely end his season, so we have to be very careful."

Detroit still remains hopeful that Vierling will be ready for activation from the 10-day injured list before the end of the season, but he'll likely need to head out on a rehab assignment within the next week or two for a return to the big-league roster to become realistic. Due to a shoulder injury suffered in spring training in addition to his left oblique strain, Vierling has played in just 31 games for Detroit this season, slashing .239/.310/.307 with one home run and two stolen bases across 100 plate appearances.