BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles hope the return of second baseman Jonathan Schoop will provide a spark to the worst offense in the American League.Schoop was activated from the disabled list Tuesday following a three-week stay with a right oblique strain. During his absence, the Orioles went 3-17 and dipped deep into last place in the AL East.Baltimore entered Tuesday's game ranked last in the AL in batting average, runs, total bases and slugging percentage.Although he got off to a slow start this season — batting .230 with one homer and three RBIs in 14 games — Schoop was inserted in the cleanup spot against the Royals."It's good to have John's skills and his personality back on the club," manager Buck Showalter said.Schoop hit .293 with 32 homers and 105 RBIs last season, earning a spot in the All-Star Game for the first time.Schoop also solidifies an infield that is without third baseman Tim Beckham, who's sidelined following core surgery."You know the capability is there, and... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Orioles have acquired minor league infielder Engelb Vielma from the San Francisco Giants for a player to be named or cash.The 23-year-old Vielma reached Triple-A for the first time last season. Since breaking into professional baseball as a member of the Twins' organization in 2012, Vielma has played second base, shortstop and third base.A native of Venezuela, Vielma has a career batting average of .256 with two home runs and 149 RBIs.Baltimore announced the deal Friday.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball