The Boston Red Sox placed third baseman Alex Bregman on the paternity list on Wednesday and recalled infielder/outfielder Nick Sogard from Triple-A Worcester in a corresponding move. Bregman put on a show in Tuesday's win over the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, going 5-for-5 with two home runs, a double, four RBI and two runs scored, but now he'll miss the series finale in Tampa and potentially the entire weekend series against the Chicago White Sox. The 31-year-old two-time All-Star has so far enjoyed his time in Beantown, as he's slashing .321/.365/.564 with a .929 OPS, four home runs, a league-high seven doubles, a league-high 25 hits, 16 RBI, a stolen base and 10 runs scored in a league-high 78 at-bats. With Bregman out of the lineup on Thursday against the Rays, Romy Gonzalez will fill in at the hot corner and bat fifth against right-hander Zack Littell.

If New York Mets right-hander Griffin Canning (illness) isn't able to make his next start in one of the next few days, New York Newsday's Tim Healey suggests that the Mets could call up pitching prospect Brandon Sproat to make his major-league debut. Sproat is considered the Mets' top prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and he's coming off his best outing at Triple-A Syracuse in which he allowed just one run on two hits in 4 1/3 innings last Saturday. The 24-year-old got off to a rough start on the farm, though, and currently holds a 5.23 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 11:7 K:BB in 10 1/3 innings over three starts. Last year in 116 1/3 frames, he held a 3.40 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 131 K's and 42 walks at three different minor-league levels. The Mets start a four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. If Sproat does make a spot start on Friday, it could just be a one-game audition before he heads back to the minors.

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw (knee, toe) had a positive first minor-league rehab start on Wednesday with Triple-A Oklahoma City, throwing three scoreless innings while allowing two hits, walking none and striking out two. The 37-year-old former MVP and three-time Cy Young winner threw 22 of his 30 pitches for strikes but only topped out at 88.8 mph with his four-seam fastball. Kershaw has plenty of time to build his velocity back up, though, as he's not eligible to come off the 60-day injured list until May 17. The Dodgers are going to take their time with the future Hall of Famer, which means he might not even be allowed to rejoin their big-league starting rotation by May 17. While Kershaw can still have solid outings, he has become much more of a fantasy dice roll and is likely to have his innings heavily managed when he eventually returns.

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin (lat) played catch on Wednesday for the first time and is optimistic and hopes to return to the team soon. "I'm not interested in missing a lot of time," Eflin said. The 31-year-old's right-lat strain has been considered "very mild," and his timetable for a return will ideally be measured in "weeks than months." He will eventually go on a minor-league rehab assignment before returning from the injured list, so there's a chance we won't see Eflin again until the beginning of May. The former first-rounder was looking good in his first three starts in his first full season with Baltimore before his injury, going 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with eight strikeouts and only one walk in 18 innings pitched. Eflin is a control artist, but his lack of strikeouts last year and to start this year is a bit concerning.

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Tyler O'Neill (neck) has been scratched from Wednesday's starting lineup against the visiting Cleveland Guardians due to neck discomfort, according to The Baltimore Banner's Andy Kostka. Ramon Laureano will replace O'Neill in left field and hit ninth in the batting order against Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams. O'Neill, who has missed his fair share of time due to injuries in his career, should be considered day-to-day for now, but don't be surprised if he misses additional time. The O's wrap up their series against Cleveland on Thursday before starting a new weekend series on Friday against the visiting Cincinnati Reds. Laureano should be considered a long shot to return much DFS value in the nine-hole. He's gone 1-for-13 so far this year and has gone hitless in three career at-bats against Williams.