Hours before the Red Sox squared off against the Orioles on Monday, Andrew Benintendi completed one component of a final set of tasks that will green-light his return.

Twins first baseman Joe Mauer was held out of the lineup for a second straight day with sore quads on Monday, and manager Paul Molitor said he’ll be out until at least Wednesday.

That’s a cute baby.

Nick Castellanos took batting practice against live pitching Monday at Comerica Park for the first time in more than five weeks.

Wei-Yin Chen threw 65 pitches in a simulated game on Sunday at Marlins Park. The next time the left-hander takes the mound could be in a game that counts for Miami.

For a brief period, Didi Gregorius’ hot bat had the Yankees slotting him as their cleanup hitter. Now, the shortstop’s battered body has convinced manager Joe Girardi that they may have been pushing him too hard.

Josh Donaldson was held out of the Blue Jays’ lineup in the series opener vs. Tampa Bay on Monday night because of an undisclosed injury.

Kendrys Morales is doing his part to keep the Royals in the playoff hunt. The designated hitter earned American League Player of the Week honors after hitting .409/.500/1.091 with five home runs and 14 RBIs in six games last week, leading Kansas City to a 4-2 record.

All players struggle at some point in their careers. It’s how they get out of those tough times that can truly make a player. That’s especially true for young prospects trying to make their way to the big leagues. Talk to most big leaguers and they’ll point to a time that they slumped while coming up as a period of important growth and learning. This 2016 season has been no different.

The Cubs are great at just about every single facet of the game, but perhaps their defense doesn’t get enough attention. It should — in large part because of those gloves, the Cubs are challenging for one of the best run-prevention years of the past 100 seasons.

The Astros have agreed to a $5.15 million deal with Cuban left-hander Cionel Perez, a source told MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez on Monday. The club has not confirmed the deal.

The Red Sox will celebrate slugger David Ortiz’s career and tenure in Boston during the team’s final regular-season homestand from Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at Fenway Park.

Select fifty-seven (57) players to get a hit on Wed, Sept 14, and you could win $5.6 million!

It’s time for the final three weeks of the regular season, and here are 21 reasons to watch the big finish on MLB.TV — one for each day.

Yankees-Dodgers is among the intriguing matchups this week as the postseason races kick into high gear.

The Yankees’ run at an American League postseason spot stalled on Sunday, at least for a day. Tampa Bay homered three times to snap New York’s seven-game win streak with a 4-2 victory in the Bronx in front of 33,087 at Yankee Stadium.

Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain met with manager Ned Yost on Sunday morning prior to the series finale against the White Sox, and the two now appear to be on the same page regarding his possible return from injury.