MLB Player News

Diaz will not start Friday's game against Toronto, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Heavy rotation is certainly nothing new for the Rays, as Diaz hits the bench even after reaching base four times and scoring three runs in Thursday's contest. Joey Wendle gets the start at third base.

Diaz went 3-for-5 with an RBI single, a walk and three runs in a win over the Red Sox on Thursday.

Diaz's run-scoring single in the first inning opened the scoring on what would be a momentous 17-run barrage for the Rays. The Cuban infielder has been highly productive at the plate during August after a slow start to the season, but curiously, the big hits continue to avoid him. Of Diaz's 19 hits on the season, only two -- a pair of doubles -- have gone for extra bases, this after he laced a career-high 35 XBH (20 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs) in 2019. Part of the explanation seems to lie in Diaz's batted-ball metrics -- he's seen drops in exit velocity (91.6 mph to 83.0 mph), hard-contact rate (42.4 percent to 33.9 percent) and flyball rate (32.0 percent to 10.7 percent) compared to last season. On the bright side for his fantasy managers, the 29-year-old's line-drive rate is up from 17.2 to 21.4 percent, which typically leads to more batted balls falling in for hits.

Olson went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in a win over the Angels on Wednesday.

Olson opened the scoring on the afternoon for either club with one of his mammoth trademark homers, blasting a 454-foot shot to right in the first inning. The 26-year-old has had an interesting statistical month thus far, as five of his six hits in August have left the yard and he's also drawn 10 walks. However, Olson has also struck out on 12 occasions and is hitting just .136 (6-for-44) during that span, leaving him with an unorthodox .149/.313/.418 slash over his first 83 plate appearances of 2020.

Diaz went 3-for-5 with an RBI single in a win over the Red Sox on Wednesday.

Diaz continues to see the ball drop in after experiencing some tough luck in that regard earlier this season. Factoring in Wednesday's production, the 29-year-old is hitting .341 across 11 August games, raising his season average 163 points to .258.

Tellez went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday's extra-inning loss to the Marlins.

The homer was his second of the season, and first since July 27. Tellez has had trouble getting going so far, slashing .200/.283/.425 through 11 games, but his power potential should keep him in the lineup most nights.

Guerrero went 2-for-5 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Marlins.

Guerrero ended his home run drought at nine games, as he took James Hoyt deep in the seventh inning. It was second home run of the season, though he has also recorded four doubles in his last eight contests. Overall, Guerrero is hitting a disappointing .237/.286/.407 across 47 plate appearances to this point in the campaign.

White is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Rangers.

White will head to the bench for Wednesday's series finale following a string of four straight starts. Dylan Moore is starting at first base in place of White, who is just 7-for-66 with one home run and 31 strikeouts through 18 games.

Diaz, who went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI singles, a walk and a run in a win over the Red Sox on Tuesday, is now hitting .306 (11-for-36) with two doubles, Tuesday's two RBI, four walks and three runs across 10 August games.

The burly infielder is still looking for his first home run of the campaign, but he's definitely beginning to show signs of a breakout after a forgettable start to the season. Diaz also boasts an elite walk rate of 18.6 percent that has helped him to an impressive .371 on-base percentage, while his 14.3 percent strikeout rate (70 plate appearances) is a career low.

Abreu (hip) went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs Tuesday in the White Sox's 8-4 win over the Tigers.

Abreu's right hip injury forced him to exit early in Monday's 5-1 loss, but the stinger ultimately wasn't too much of a concern, as he was back in the lineup a day later and came through with a strong showing at the dish. He'll start again at first base and bat third in Wednesday's series finale.

Cron acknowledged Tuesday that he'll eventually require surgery on his sprained left knee, but he remains hopeful to play again this season before undergoing a procedure in the winter, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports. "[Surgery] has been discussed...We're gonna try to do as best we can to give it enough support to maybe finish the year. It's one of those things where something is gonna have to get done eventually, from the opinions I've gotten so far."

Cron sprained his knee in Monday's game against the White Sox and was placed on the 10-day injured list a day later. The 30-year-old is without a clear timeline to return, but based on his description of the injury, he seems likely to be sidelined more than the minimum 10 days even if he puts off surgery until the offseason. He's currently donning a brace on the knee in an attempt to strengthen his ligament enough to resume on-field activities, so until he's able to do that, the Tigers likely won't hone in on a target date for him to come off the IL. Jeimer Candelario is expected to serve as the Tigers' primary first baseman while Cron is sidelined.