MLB Player News

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in an interview on the Talkin' Yanks podcast Tuesday that demoting Volpe to the minor leagues is not something the team has talked about.

"What I'm seeing is in my opinion a guy that is still helping us win games but I'm confident will continue to be in the middle of helping us win games," Boone said. The manager's statement isn't surprising, as you wouldn't really expect him to acknowledge that sending Volpe down was being considered even if it were the case. Perhaps, though, it serves as a much-needed vote of confidence for the rookie following a dreadful start to June, which has dropped his season batting line down to .186/.260/.345. For what it's worth, Volpe's potential replacement, Oswald Peraza, is hitting .311/.384/.597 with 10 homers and seven steals in 28 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Crawford went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two runs in a win over the Marlins on Monday.

The hot-hitting leadoff man set the table for both Teoscar Hernandez and Ty France, coming home on their first-inning double and second-inning home run, respectively. Crawford is now on a three-game tear that's seen him go 7-for-13 and quickly boost his average 18 points to .253. He also continues to help his cause by drawing walks at what is now a 13.4 percent clip, his highest rate since his rookie 2017 season in Philadelphia.

Duran went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Monday's 9-6 extra-innings loss to the Angels.

Duran's second-inning blast gave the Rangers an early 3-0 lead that eventually expanded to 5-0, but Texas pitching couldn't hold it, and the offense went silent. It was Duran's first homer since returning from the injured list earlier this month. The layoff didn't hurt his plate production. Duran, who's started seven of nine games since being activated, is 8-for-22 (.364) with two doubles, a homer, five RBI and six runs scored over that span.

Franco isn't in the Rays' lineup for Monday's game against Oakland.

Franco has slashed .250/.300/.429 across the past week and will get a day off Monday to regroup. Taylor Walls will shift over to shortstop to fill in for Franco, allowing Vidal Brujan and Isaac Paredes to cover second and third base, respectively.

Story (elbow) offered August as a rough timeline for when he'll be able to play shortstop when asked Monday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

It remains possible that Story could return sooner as a designated hitter, although that hasn't been decided yet and it's unclear how likely of a scenario it is. Story has increased his throwing to 120 feet as he recovers from an internal bracing procedure of his right elbow and he's aiming to build up to 150 feet.

The Red Sox won't activate Chang (wrist) from the 10-day injured list this week as anticipated after he experienced renewed soreness in his surgically repaired left hand, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Chang required surgery in late April to repair a fractured left hamate bone and experienced two setbacks while on a rehab assignment. The Red Sox are hopeful that he can get back into rehab games next week, but a timetable for his return now appears up in the air.

Story (elbow) was spotted playing catch from 120 feet Monday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Story had been playing catch from 105 feet at this point last week, so he's taken another marginal step forward in his recovery from elbow surgery by stretching his long-toss distance out another 15 feet. The 30-year-old should continue to gradually increase the distance and intensity of his throwing, but the Red Sox could bring him back from the 60-day injured list as a designated hitter initially rather than immediately installing him as their everyday shortstop. Story still appears to be targeting somewhere around the All-Star break for his season debut.

Velazquez (undisclosed) began a rehab assignment with the Angels' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate last Wednesday and has gone 3-for-10 with a double, a triple, a walk, two RBI and two runs through three games.

Velazquez has been sidelined at Triple-A Salt Lake since late April due to an unspecified injury. The 28-year-old infielder spent nearly all of the 2022 campaign in the big leagues, but he was optioned to the minors in spring training coming off a season in which he slashed a dismal .196/.236/.304 with a 34.1 percent strikeout rate across 349 plate appearances with the Angels.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a win over the Brewers on Sunday.

Smith joined the Athletics' offensive barrage in the seventh inning, leaving the yard via a 383-foot shot to left field for his fourth homer of the season. The shortstop had been mired in a 3-for-20 slump over the eight games prior to Sunday's, but manager Mark Kotsay appears committed to continuing to afford Smith near-everyday playing time for the moment.

Neto went 2-for-4 with two solo homers and three runs scored in Sunday's win over Seattle.

Neto ripped a solo homer in the second and eighth innings, snapping a 14-game homerless drought. After ending May in a 1-for-19 skid, the rookie shortstop has gone 8-for-23 (.348) with a 4:5 BB:K and seven runs scored in June. He boosted his season slash line to .253/.337/.404 with 15 extra-base hits, five steals and 20 RBI through 190 plate appearances.