MLB Player News

Anthony (back) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Orioles, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

The 21-year-old outfielder will sit for a third straight game Friday due to upper-back tightness, which first surfaced on a swing during Tuesday's loss to the Yankees. According to Ian Browne of MLB.com, Anthony is showing improvement and could see the field at some point this weekend in Baltimore.

Harris (quadriceps) will start in center field and bat fifth in Friday's game versus the Phillies.

Harris had to be lifted from Thursday's contest against the Nationals due to left quad tightness, but he checked out fine and will not have to miss a game. The five spot in the lineup is the highest this season for Harris, who is slashing .447/.488/.895 with five home runs over his last 11 games.

The Orioles optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A Norfolk on Friday.

With Tyler O'Neill back from his concussion, Rodriguez will head back to the minors. Rodriguez saw 11 plate appearances with Baltimore, going 0-for-7 with three walks and one RBI.

The Orioles activated O'Neill (concussion) from the 7-day injured list Friday.

O'Neill hasn't played since April 8, as he initially missed time with an illness before fainting from dehydration and suffering a concussion. Prior to his time on the injured list, O'Neill slashed .241/.353/.345 with one home run, four RBI, six runs scored and a 3:6 BB:K across 34 plate appearances. Dylan Beavers and Leody Taveras have been seeing more playing time with O'Neill idle.

Robert is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies.

Robert is just 6-for-39 at the plate across his last 10 contests, so he'll get a day off to regroup. The Mets will roll with Tyrone Taylor in center field for Friday's series opener.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Thursday's game that Tucker will shift to the cleanup spot in the batting order, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Tucker had been locked into the two spot before he collected a pair of hits while batting fourth Thursday against the Giants. The 29-year-old's tenure with the Dodgers has gotten off to a slow start, but Roberts is hoping a new lineup spot will jumpstart the free-agent signing. Tucker should have plenty of RBI opportunities while hitting behind Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and eventually Mookie Betts (oblique).

Laureano went 3-for-6 with a triple and two RBI against the Rockies in a 10-8 victory Thursday.

Laureano knocked in a run in the fourth inning with his second three-bagger of the season. The veteran outfielder came into the contest having gone 2-for-20 with 11 strikeouts over his previous five games, but he busted that mini-slump with his second three-hit performance of the campaign. Laureano has been one of San Diego's most productive hitters this season, slashing .264/.320/.484 with four home runs, 13 runs, a team-leading 17 RBI and three stolen bases through 100 plate appearances.

Sheets went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run in a 10-8 win against Colorado on Thursday.

On the day he turned 30 years old, Sheets began the game on the bench. However, he replaced Ty France in the eighth inning and came through with a huge three-run blast in the ninth that ultimately decided the outcome of the game. Through 79 plate appearances, Sheets is slashing .227/.266/.467 with three homers, nine doubles, nine runs, nine RBI and one stolen base while making starts at first base, in left field and at DH, primarily against right-handed pitchers.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Friday on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that Springer (toe) could return in "a couple more days... maybe just even a day or two."

Springer is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list for the start of Friday's series with the Guardians, but it doesn't sound like he's going to get the green light to meet that timeline. A return to action by Sunday could be in the cards, however. Springer has been out since fracturing a toe April 11, but he's been hitting and doing mobility drills over the past week. The veteran slugger was batting .185 (10-for-54) through 14 games with two homers and six RBI when he fouled a ball off his foot.

Benge went 2-for-3 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Thursday's win over the Twins.

The rookie outfielder took Joe Ryan deep in the fourth inning, giving Benge his second homer of the year. It was the first time in his brief career that the 23-year-old had recorded multiple extra-base hits in a game, and it was his first multi-hit performance in April. Benge may be getting comfortable in the majors -- while he's still batting just .200 (4-for-20) over the last seven games, three of his four hits in that span have gone for extra bases, and his 20.0 percent strikeout rate is a significant improvement on the 28.9 percent mark he posted in his first 12 contests of the season.