Player Notes

Athletics activated SS Hiroyuki Nakajima from the 15-day disabled list; optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento.
Advice: Nakajima is still working his way back from a hamstring injury he suffered late in spring training. His 20-day rehab window expired on Wednesday, so the Athletics are stashing him in the minors for now.

Mark Teixeira (wrist) could begin a minor league rehab assignment Tuesday with Double-A Trenton.
Advice: Teixeira has participated in simulated games this week without incident and took batting practice Thursday in Tampa. The 33-year-old was originally aiming to return from the disabled by May 31, but he may need a few extra days to shake the rust. Still, he's making fine progress.
More: Erik Boland on Twitter

Taylor Teagarden (thumb) is slated to start catching live batting practice and hitting off coaches Thursday in Sarasota, Florida.
Advice: Teagarden has been sidelined since April 27 with a dislocated left thumb. The Orioles may want him to go out on a brief minor league assignment, but he appears on track to return early next month.
More: Eddie A. Encina on Twitter

Michael Brantley went 3-for-5 with three RBI in the Indians' loss to the Tigers on Wednesday.
Advice: Brantley did all his damage with three singles, bringing his RBI count to 24 and his batting average to .309 in the process. And the left fielder is 7-for-16 (.438) in his last four games with nine RBI in those 16 at-bats. The 26-year-old is well on his way to an encore of a 2012 season in which he hit .288 with 37 doubles.

Giancarlo Stanton took live batting practice Wednesday for the first time since straining his right hamstring.
Advice: "He looked good," manager Mike Redmond said afterward. "I'm just going off the results. He was hitting them out. It's another encouraging sign that he's a little closer to being back on the field." Stanton has been on the disabled list since April 30 and is still without a timetable. The best guess is that he's activated around mid-June.
More: Miami Herald

Logan Morrison (knee) will shift his rehab assignment to Double-A Jacksonville on Monday.
Advice: Morrison has spent the past week with the High-A Jupiter Hammerheads, collecting three hits and one RBI in 13 at-bats. He's working his way back from September surgery to repair a torn patella tendon in his right knee and is currently aiming to join the Marlins in early June. NL-only leaguers might want to stash him now.
More: Miami Herald

Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers said Thursday that Adam Eaton will "probably" get a second opinion on his left elbow from Dr. James Andrews in the coming days.
Advice: Eaton was recently pulled off his minor league rehab assignment due to renewed discomfort in his elbow. Towers said an MRI showed fluid around his ulnar collateral ligament, but no new damage was found. As of now, he's expected to rest for 2-3 weeks before restarting his rehab program, but he'll get Andrews' opinion just to be on the safe side.
More: Nick Piecoro on Twitter

David Ross (concussion) will begin a rehab assignment Thursday with Double-A Portland.
Advice: Ross has been out since May 11 with concussion-related symptoms. Assuming he avoids a setback in Portland, he will rejoin the Red Sox on Friday against the Indians.
More: MassLive.com

Adam Jones will serve as the designated hitter for the third straight game Thursday.
Advice: Jones is currently dealing with some groin soreness, so Orioles manager Buck Showalter continues to exercise caution. Chris Dickerson will start in center field again Thursday.
More: Eddie A. Encina on Twitter

Shane Victorino (hamstring) did sprints and other drills prior to Thursday's game.
Advice: He's sitting out again Thursday, but the outfielder still seems likely to avoid the disabled list. "He's still day-to-day," Red Sox manager John Farrell said Thursday. "He's unavailable tonight. So, I think, we've used as a general rule of thumb, as we get to that halfway point of the potential of putting Shane on the [disabled list], we'll make a decision at that point, but we're no closer today to making a roster move.''
More: Boston Globe

Alberto Gonzalez has accepted an assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Advice: Gonzalez was outrighted to Triple-A after he passed through waivers unclaimed earlier this week. The Yankees will be happy to keep him around as infield depth.
More: YES Network

Red Sox GM Ben Cherington confirmed Thursday that he has not engaged in long-term talks with Jacoby Ellsbury.
Advice: "Because Ellsbury has gone through arbitration the last three years, there's been an opportunity to talk to [agent Scott Boras] and Jacoby each of those years in the winter before spring training or early in spring training about his status," said Cherington. "And each of those years we've signed a one-year deal." Ellsbury, 29, is set to become a free agent after the 2013 season. He has a disappointing .673 OPS since the start of the 2012 campaign.
More: WEEI.com

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday that Kevin Youkilis (back) is "maybe a week" away from being activated.
Advice: Youkilis, out since April 27 with a lumbar spine strain, took six at-bats Wednesday in a simulated game. It's not clear if he'll go out on a brief rehab assignment, but he's getting close.
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Salvador Perez (hip) is back in Thursday's lineup against the Angels.
Advice: Perez suffered a deep right hip bruise Monday when he slid into a barrier while attempting to catch a foul ball, but fortunately an MRI ruled out any structural damage. It shouldn't be an issue moving forward.
More: Bob Dutton on Twitter

Matt Dominguez (quad) is expected to return to the Astros' starting lineup on Friday evening.
Advice: Dominguez sat out Wednesday and will also use Thursday's scheduled team off day to rest his tight left quad. "I'm starting to figure certain things out at the plate, and I like to play," said the third baseman, "but it's better to take the two days off now than risking weeks when it's something that can be treated pretty easily."
More: Houston Chronicle