MLB Player News

O'Neill went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's 9-6 extra-inning win over Atlanta.

In his second game since returning from the injured list, O'Neill crushed his third homer of the year. The 30-year-old slugging outfielder has hit eighth in each of these two outings, although it's possible he'll eventually work his way back into the heart of Baltimore's lineup after hitting somewhere between third and sixth in each of his first 18 contests of the season. Given that he's still slashing a woeful .193/.284/.352 with three long balls, three doubles, one triple and 11 RBI through 102 plate appearances, O'Neill likely still has work to do before interim manager Tony Mansolino considers moving him up the batting order.

Cowser went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 9-6 extra-inning win over Atlanta.

Cowser smashed homer No. 8 for the year and his seventh since the beginning of June. The 25-year-old outfielder has provided the Orioles with a boost since coming off the injured list back on June 3 -- he's slashing a productive .240/.291/.531 with seven round trippers, seven doubles, 16 RBI and one stolen base over his last 103 plate appearances. Cowser began the season as Baltimore's leadoff batter but has hit sixth or lower in the lineup in all but one of his last 27 games, although it's worth noting current No. 1 hitter Jackson Holliday is struggling with a .543 OPS across his last 21 outings.

Langford (oblique) was activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Saturday's game against the Padres.

Langford missed less than two weeks with the oblique injury and is batting sixth in his return. He hit .224/.286/.342 with a 29.8 percent strikeout rate in 18 June games and has 13 homers and 11 steals in 67 games this season.

Meyers isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Dodgers.

Meyers went 3-for-5 with three runs scored during Friday's 18-1 rout of the Dodgers, giving him six hits in his last three games. He'll get a chance to rest Saturday while Mauricio Dubon starts in center field, giving Zack Short a chance to start at shortstop.

Thomas (foot) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Tigers.

Symptoms of plantar fasciitis forced Thomas to make an early exit from Friday's game, and it will now cost him a start Saturday. While he sits, Steven Kwan, Nolan Jones and Johnathan Rodriguez will start across the outfield for Cleveland.

Abreu is not starting Saturday versus the Nationals, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

As has been the case regularly this season, Abreu will begin on the bench against an opposing lefty starter (Mitchell Parker). Roman Anthony is manning right field for the Red Sox on Saturday while Rob Refsnyder is getting a turn at DH.

Rafaela went 1-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 11-2 win over Washington.

Rafaela got the party started with a second-inning, RBI double and came around to score Boston's second run. He later made a nice over-the-shoulder catch on a Luis Garcia drive in the sixth. Rafaela has been productive at the dish over the last two weeks, posting a .286/.314/.612 line with seven doubles, three home runs, eight RBI, one steal and 10 runs over the last 13 contests. Defensively, he continues to be brilliant in center field and leads all outfielders with 14 outs above average.

Judge went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the Mets on Friday.

Judge hit one of four Yankees long balls in the contest, belting a 428-foot solo shot in the first inning. It was the slugger's fourth homer in his past six games, a stretch during which he's batting an absurd .556 (10-for-18) with eight RBI, nine runs and nine walks. Judge is up to 32 home runs on the campaign, second in the majors behind Cal Raleigh (35).

Carter started in center field and went 1-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases in Friday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to San Diego.

Carter returned from the bereavement list and picked up where he left off. The outfielder extended a hit streak to eight games and stole multiple bases for the second straight contest. Carter is slashing .355/.459/.387 with five steals and one RBI over the hit streak. He was eventually replaced by a pinch hitter in the 10th inning against a lefty reliever, which is a normal practice of Texas manager Bruce Bochy. Carter has just 10 plate appearances against southpaws this season.

Langford (oblique) started in left field and went 1-for-3 with a solo home run for Double-A Frisco on Thursday.

Thursday's appearance was the first of a rehab assignment for Langford and may be his only one. He did not play Friday, and MLB.com reports the Rangers are expected to activate Langford ahead of Saturday's game against Padres.