MLB Player News

Smith is out of the lineup for Friday's game versus the Royals, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Lefty Cole Ragans is starting Friday for Kansas City, so the lefty-hitting Smith will hit the bench for the second time in the past three games. Romy Gonzalez will receive a look at first base in the series opener.

The Yankees placed Davis on the 10-day injured list Friday due to the stomach flu.

Davis hadn't appeared in a game since July 4 and is battling a stomach bug. The veteran infielder will be eligible for reinstatement shortly after the All-Star break, though he's only started four games since being acquired by the Yankees on June 23. Jorbit Vivas will take Davis' place on the active roster.

The Yankees are expected to place Davis on the injured list Friday with an undisclosed injury, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports.

It's unclear when Davis suffered the injury, but he has played in just five contests since being acquired by the Yankees on June 23. Davis will be eligible to return early in the second half, although a timeline for his return hasn't yet been provided by the club.

France went 2-for-5 with an RBI, a double and a run in a win over the Angels on Thursday.

France drove home the second of the Mariners' 11 runs with a first-inning fielder's choice and eventually came around to score. He has now hit safely in four straight games and reached base in nine of his last 10 contests, but walks and singles have been his calling card -- the veteran has just three extra-base hits over 86 plate appearances since returning from the injured list June 18.

Yepez went 1-for-2 with two walks and a double in Thursday's loss to the Mets.

Since taking over the starting job at first base for the Nationals, Yepez has hit safely in seven straight games, batting .308 (8-for-26) with four doubles, two RBI and 4:5 BB:K. Joey Gallo (hamstring) likely won't be ready to come off the IL immediately after the All-Star break, but if Yepez keeps producing, he may not give the job back whenever the veteran slugger does get activated. Gallo's .606 OPS through 165 plate appearances this season is a career low, and Washington has already cut loose struggling players who don't factor into their future plans like Eddie Rosario and Nick Senzel.

Busch went 2-for-4 with a walk, two doubles, two RBI and three runs scored in Thursday's 8-0 win over the Orioles.

Busch extended his hitting streak to eight games, and he has eight hits in the last three contests alone. The first baseman has used the hot streak to push his batting average up to .278 and his OPS to a robust .853. Busch continues to see regular playing time in his first season with the Cubs, and he should remain locked into fantasy lineups, particularly while he's producing like this.

The Athletics placed Soderstrom on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a left wrist bone bruise, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Soderstrom has gone just 4-for-22 with two RBI since the beginning of July, and his wrist injury will now hold him out of action until shortly after the All-Star break. Tyler Nevin and Armando Alvarez are likely to see action at first base while Soderstrom is out, and Seth Brown will come up from Triple-A Las Vegas to fill the open spot on the active roster.

Harper (hand) will start at first base and bat third Thursday against the Dodgers.

Harper suffered a bruised left hand during Tuesday's victory and ended up having to sit out Wednesday's contest, but the 31-year-old slugger is now feeling well enough to return to the field. He went 0-for-4 in his return from a stint on the injured list Tuesday but had slashed .423/.455/.865 with five homers and 12 RBI during a 12-game hitting streak prior to landing on the IL.

Manager Bob Melvin said Thursday that Wade is dealing with tightness in his hamstring, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Wade was left out of the Giants' starting lineup for Thursday's game, and it's now been revealed that his absence is due to problems with his hamstring. Melvin noted that the 30-year-old first baseman will still likely be available for San Francisco's upcoming series versus Minnesota, but the team will take a day-to-day approach with him until the All-Star break.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that Canha is "very available" for Thursday's game against the Guardians, despite the fact that he's been contending with left hip discomfort of late, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. "It's not a punishment at all, it's [how] these other guys are swinging the bat," Hinch said of Canha's status. "I think Mark's best contribution today will be off the bench."

Canha is out of the lineup Thursday for a third straight game, and while the hip issue initially looked to be at least part of the reason why he was on the bench, Hinch's comments seemed to suggest that it's more of a result of Canha's poor performance of late. Heading into Thursday's contest, Canha is hitting just .098/.203/.118 with one extra-base hit over his last 15 games, though it's unclear to what extent playing through the hip injury might have factored into his struggles. Regardless, Zach McKinstry has been the main beneficiary of Canha's slump, as the lefty-hitting McKinstry will stay in the lineup for a fifth straight game. The two could end up being deployed in a de facto platoon, making the right-handed-hitting Canha a candidate to re-enter the lineup Friday and Saturday, when the Tigers are tentatively scheduled to face Dodgers lefties Justin Wrobleski and James Paxton.