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  • Activation coming this weekend
    Abreu (ankle) is expected to be activated during this weekend's series against the Reds, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

    Advice: Abreu played the second game of a rehab assignment for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, starting in right field, and signaled his readiness for an activation by launching two solo home runs. He's expected to serve as Worcester's DH on Thursday and potentially rejoin the Red Sox on Friday or Saturday. Rotowire.com 2 minutes ago
    Wilyer AbreuBOS - LF,CF,RF
    New Player Note
    IL10
     
  • Active in win
    Grossman started in left field and went 1-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Mets.

    Advice: Grossman ignited a rally in the bottom of the first inning when he drew the first of three two-out walks, stole a base (his third of the season), and eventually scored Texas' first run. He later raced home from first base on a double in the sixth. Grossman has recently become a fixture in the starting lineup against left-handers, usually batting third. He's batting .333 (9-for-27) with a home run, a double, six RBI, a stolen base and five additional runs scored during the month of June. Rotowire.com 14 minutes ago
     
  • Remains at DH
    Smith started at designated hitter and 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Mets.

    Advice: Smith returned from a hamstring injury Tuesday but has been limited to DH duties in both games. The bat, however, still makes an impact. In the bottom of the sixth inning, he doubled in a run then scored a game-tying run. Smith is 3-for-7 with a home run, a double, four RBI and an additional run scored in the two games at DH. Rotowire.com 28 minutes ago
    Josh SmithTEX - 3B,SS,LF
    New Player Note
     
  • Starts against right-hander
    Fairchild started in center field and went 0-for-2 with a walk in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Pirates.

    Advice: Fairchild filled in for the injured TJ Friedl (hamstring), getting a rare start against a right-hander. Fairchild is 4-for-44 against righties this season and owns a career .205 mark off them. The Reds are off Thursday, giving Friedl one more recovery day before they kick off a home series against Boston on Friday. Rotowire.com 38 minutes ago
     
  • Gets another start
    Espinal started at third base and went 1-for-3 in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to Pittsburgh.

    Advice: Espinal received a second consecutive start at the hot corner, as Jeimer Candelario (tendinitis) was unavailable. This could be a situation where manager David Bell is giving Candelario multiple days off, including an off day Thursday, so that he can ready to go Friday when the Reds open a home series against the suddenly hot Red Sox. Rotowire.com 43 minutes ago
     
  • Moves up order against lefty
    Carroll batted second and went 1-for-4 with a double in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Nationals.

    Advice: Carroll had been dropped to the lower third of the order against left-handers a couple of weeks ago, but he was moved back to the top third Wednesday. A 12-game stretch during which he batted .340/.446/.511 may have influenced manager Torey Lovullo's decision to get Carroll's higher in the order. Rotowire.com 54 minutes ago
     
  • Frist hitless game
    Perdomo went 0-for-3 in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to Washington.

    Advice: Perdomo, who was given a rest day after two games following his activation off the injured list last week, has started five consecutive since then. Wednesday's 0-fer was his first after hitting safely in his first six contests (8-for-22). Rotowire.com Today, 4:12 am
     
  • Sharp in first rehab start
    Kershaw (shoulder) completed three innings in a rehab start with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday, allowing one run on two hits and one walk while striking out five batters.

    Advice: Kershaw impressed in his first game action since undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, throwing 26 of his 36 pitches for strikes and hitting 90 mph -- right around his regular-season velocity -- on his fastball. The veteran left-hander began a bit shakily in giving up a one-out first-inning triple that was cashed in on a sacrifice fly, but Kershaw was in complete control thereafter, with his only walk coming on a pitch-clock violation that appeared to be intentional in order to allow him to face another batter. Kershaw is expected to log multiple additional rehab outings before potentially joining Los Angeles' rotation sometime around mid-July. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 11:17 pm
     
  • Lifts fourth homer
    Urias went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Yankees.

    Advice: Urias went deep in the fifth inning for his first homer since June 3. The infielder has hit safely in his last six games, going 8-for-23 (.348) in that span. He had to settle for a utility role early in the year, but he's been staking a larger claim with strong hitting in June. For the season, Urias is slashing .252/.298/.421 with four homers, 10 RBI, 15 runs scored and no stolen bases over 114 plate appearances. He may be set for a short-term bump in playing time if Jordan Westburg (hip) has to sit out more games following his injury Tuesday. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 11:12 pm