Gabriel Arias Injury: Could return this weekend

Arias (ankle) could be activated off the 10-day injured list ahead of this weekend's series against the Royals, MLB.com reports.

Arias has played four games so far on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Columbus, including two consecutive nine-inning contests at shortstop Tuesday and Wednesday. The back-to-back work in the field suggests his activation is imminent. Prior to the injury, Arias operated as the Guardians' primary shortstop, having replaced a struggling Brayan Rocchio, but it's unclear if he'll return in the same role. Rocchio, who was called up when Arias landed on the IL in early July, has hit .254 (15-for-59) with a .709 OPS, eight extra-base hits and 11 RBI over 20 games. Those results are much better than what he posted over the first 35 games of the season, and which got him demoted in early May.