Veteran designated hitter Corey Hart was activated from the 15-day disabled list by the Mariners on Friday. Outfielder Cole Gillespie was designated for assignment to make room on the 25-man roster.

Since returning to third base this past Monday, Nationals slugger Ryan Zimmerman seems to have more zip on his throws to first base.

Every lineup, every day, as they are made public by the clubs.

In years to come, Rockies’ No. 1 prospect Jon Gray and Padres’ No. 1 prospect Austin Hedges might become familiar rivals in the National League West. For now, however, they are playing in the Texas League and have never faced each other. That is likely to change Friday, as Gray is scheduled to start for Double-A Tulsa against Hedges and San Antonio in a Fourth of July showdown.

Thus far in his career, D-backs star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has put up numbers that are on par with former AL MVP Don Mattingly’s production through his age-26 season.

Thursday’s series opener against the Blue Jays featured one of the more bizarre replay reviews to date, the outcome of which prompted the A’s to try to play the game under protest. It didn’t matter as Oakland won the game, 4-1, on the shoulders of a sharp performance by Sonny Gray.

There’s no secret to the Los Angeles Dodgers success. It’s a five-man answer. It’s the rotation. One through five it is arguably the best in baseball. And there is no argument about the fact the quintet has been at the top of its game in the last 26 games, pitching the Dodgers from oblivion into first place in the NL West.

In honor of the Fourth of July, here’s one baseball fan’s list of the Top 10 players or managers born on Independence Day.

It’s another former Cy Young winner, Zack Greinke, who strengthened his case for the National League All-Star team on Thursday night by allowing one earned run in eight innings as the Dodgers edged the Rockies, 3-2, and moved back into sole possession of first place in the NL West.

Masahiro Tanaka went seven innings to earn his Major-League leading 12th victory, while Carlos Beltran and Zelous Wheeler belted homers in the Yanks’ 7-4 win over the Twins on Thursday night.

The Fourth of July and the national pastime pair perfectly. The Continental Congress, naturally, didn’t know this when it adopted the Declaration of Independence in the heart of summer in 1776, but here’s to happy coincidences.

Signups are underway for the Chevy MLB.TV Free Trial, and Brian Winchester is a Reds fan in Nebraska who can tell you why the Internet’s longest running and No. 1 sports streaming product is a must-have for him and so many Major League Baseball fans.

A festive July 4 weekend will culminate in a big way at 7 p.m. ET Sunday with the much-anticipated announcement of the American and National League rosters. They will be revealed live on the Taco Bell All-Star Game Selection Show on ESPN.

The speeches we embrace most fervently are powerful, persuasive and, in many cases, presidential. In all cases, they are political — except the one delivered 75 years ago today on a baseball diamond in the South Bronx. Lou Gehrig was apolitical, as far as we know. He wasn’t the president of anything.

The words that echoed throughout the halls of Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939, continue to be a shining example of true courage. Now, even more words have been made available to the public that further delineate the perseverance, hopefulness and affection that have come to define Lou Gehrig.

Mike Papi fell just short of winning the College World Series with Virginia this season. The outfielder can now shift his goals toward striving to reach Major League Baseball’s Fall Classic as a member of the Indians.

General manager Rick Hahn still has time to analyze the team’s direction as the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline approaches, and the reality of the situation is that the White Sox could end up being both buyers and sellers in their current reshaping mode.