MLB Player News

Baez (knee) is leaving the team to head to Puerto Rico for his grandfather's funeral, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Baez was scratched from Saturday's lineup against the Red Sox with a sore knee, but it now appears like there may have been a different reason for his absence. The Tigers will make the move to the bereavement list official Sunday and it's unclear who will join the major-league roster for the time being.

Volpe went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a pair of walks in a 9-4 win over the Marlins on Friday.

Volpe put New York on the board with his three-run blast in the second inning. The long ball was just his second in 25 games since the All-Star break, a stretch during which he has slashed .197/.319/.316 with 11 RBI and eight runs. Volpe does have four steals over that stretch to boost his fantasy value, but he's been a batting-average drain with a .212 mark on the campaign. However, he's been able to maintain an everyday role at shortstop for the Yankees and is one of 10 major-leaguers with at least 15 homers and 20 thefts so far this season.

Baez was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's game against the Red Sox due to right knee soreness, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Assuming Baez's issue is nothing worse than soreness, he should be able to avoid a trip to the injured list, but the TIgers' scheduled off day Monday may incentivize the team to keep Baez on the bench Sunday in order to secure three straight days to heal. The shortstop isn't exactly hitting like an everyday player anyway, slashing .221/.262/.320 with seven homers in 109 games.

Story will sit Saturday against the Tigers.

Story started four straight games after his return from elbow surgery, appearing twice at shortstop and twice at designated hitter. Those positions will be filled by Pablo Reyes and Justin Turner, respectively, on Saturday, but Story's initial usage suggests the team believes he's already ready for a heavy workload.

Story started at shortstop and went 2-for-4 with a steal and a run scored in Friday's 5-2 win over Detroit.

Story had his first multi-hit game and steal since being activated off the injured list earlier this week. After fanning six times over his first eight plate appearances, Story is 3-for-7 with a walk and a strikeout since.

Duran started at designated hitter and went 1-for-4 in Friday's 2-1 win over the Giants.

Duran was hit on the hand during Wednesday's game but stayed in the contest after being attended to by trainers. That he was able to go Friday indicates no lingering effects.

Smith started at third base and went 1-for-4 in Friday's 2-1 win over San Francisco.

Smith made a second straight start at the hot corner, as the Rangers navigate life without rookie third baseman Josh Jung (thumb). He'll be out until some point in September after undergoing thumb surgery this week. Ezequiel Duran and Smith are sharing third base until Jung becomes available. While Duran's season numbers trump Smith's by a wide margin, the former has slumped since the All-Star break with a .162 average and .524 OPS.

Allen went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Friday's 8-2 loss to the Nationals.

The slick-fielding shortstop extended his hitting streak to a modest five games while also swiping a bag for the third straight game. Allen is still trying to prove he can contribute with his bat in the majors, and over his last 10 games he's batting .303 (10-for-33) with two homers, three steals, four runs and five RBI -- a massive improvement on his career .206/.253/.286 slash line in roughly a season's worth of playing time with the A's over the last two years.

Witt went 2-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored in Friday's win over the Cardinals.

Witt is up to 21 home runs and 70 RBI on the season to go along with 34 steals. Since the beginning of July, the young shortstop has a .331 average, nine home runs, 32 RBI, 18 runs scored and 11 stolen bases. Witt has been extremely productive despite the fact the Royals are on pace to finish with more than 100 losses for the third time in six seasons.

Pena went 3-for-4 with one double, one RBI and two runs scored in Friday's victory over the Angels.

Pena has been demoted to the bottom third of the Astros lineup in five of his last six games, but this performance marks his fourth multi-hit effort in his last 10 games. After bottoming out with a .205 average and only one home run in July, Pena has responded with 12 hits and seven walks in 43 plate appearances thus far in August. His glove keeps him in the lineup, and continued production like this will help return him to the top of a potent Astros lineup.