MLB Player News

Santana (back) is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Red Sox.

Santana is set to miss his third straight game as he battles back spasms. Edwin Encarnacion is starting at first base in his stead, opening up a spot for Yandy Diaz to serve as the designated hitter.

Santana (back) is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Santana will spend another day on the bench following Monday's removal due to back spasms. He sat out Tuesday and could miss more time depending on how quickly he recovers from the setback. Santana should be considered day-to-day for the time being, while Edwin Encarnacion draws another start at first base and Yandy Diaz gets the nod at DH.

Santana (back spasms) is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Red Sox, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

He tried to play through back spasms Monday, but exited early and will get this game off as well as he tries to get right. Jason Kipnis is starting at DH while Jose Ramirez slides over to second base and Giovanny Urshela gets the not at the hot corner. Consider Santana day-to-day.

Diaz was recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday.

Carlos Santana is currently dealing with back spasms, so Diaz could see the occasional start in the short term, but he is likely up primarily to offer depth off the bench. Diaz has one of the best approaches in the minors, but has never been able to offer enough power to realistically profile as an everyday player at a corner spot. Still, that approach and his excellent hit tool might be enough for him to get some looks over the final six weeks. He has a .350/.454/.460 slash line with five home runs in 85 games at Triple-A this year and recently turned 26.

Manager Terry Francona said Santana, who exited Monday's game prematurely, felt discomfort in his back prior to Monday's game, but the first baseman insisted on playing through the pain, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Francona indicated that he almost scratched Santana from Monday's lineup after the latter experienced muscle spasms while taking pregame swings in the cage. Santana talked his way into the lineup, but the discomfort eventually caught up to him. "On his last at-bat, you could see it was bothering him," said Francona. "Then when he sat down, it kind of grabbed at him."

Santana was forced to leave Monday's game against the Red Sox early with back tightness, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

This is rough timing for Cleveland, as Santana was on an absolute tear. Although he went 0-for-3 before exiting Monday, Santana was hitting .448/.556/.793 with five extra-base hits in his past eight games. Consider him day-to-day until we hear more, but with a diagnosis of merely "tightness," it sounds like there's a chance Santana could return quickly.

Olson is not in the lineup Monday against the Orioles, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Olson will take a seat Monday as the A's are set to take on a southpaw in Wade Miley. With Olson out, Ryon Healy will start at first base and hit fifth.

Calhoun went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and three walks in Sunday's win over the Orioles.

The homer was Calhoun's third over his last four contests, and he now boasts a .327/.429/.538 triple-slash through 16 games in August. Although the 29-year-old hasn't been as consistent as expected this season, this hot streak has him back on the fantasy radar in most formats.

Gurriel is not in the lineup Sunday against the A's.

Despite riding a modest seven-game hit streak, Gurriel will head to the bench for a day off after starting 17 of the last 18 games. Marwin Gonzalez will take over for him at first base for the contest. He should continue to get a day off every couple weeks or so in an attempt to keep him fresh for the stretch run.

Abreu went 4-for-5 with a solo home run and three runs scored in Saturday's 17-7 loss to the Rangers.

Abreu has an eight-game hitting streak, and it isn't a cheap streak. He's posted multiple hits in six of those games with seven of his 17 hits going for extra bases. The supporting cast around him will make it difficult for Abreu to reach 100 RBI for a fourth straight season, but he has some control over his home run total. Abreu has homered once every five games this season and needs just six homers over the final 42 games -- one every seven games -- to crack the 30-homer threshold.