MLB Player News

Duran went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 8-3 win over the Tigers.

Duran launched his 10th homer of the season as part of Texas' five-run eighth inning. He's hit safely in eight of 10 games with multiple hits in seven of them. During that stretch, Duran is batting .425/.439/.725 with four doubles, a triple, two home runs, three RBI, a stolen base and seven runs scored. The 24-year-old infielder/outfielder has a firm grasp on the left field job, a role that had been filled by a rotation of players when the season started.

Smith started at third base and went 0-for-2 in Tuesday's 8-3 win over Detroit.

Smith gave Josh Jung a breather at third and was removed for a pinch hitter in the sixth inning after two plate appearances. Wednesday's start was his first in 12 days.

Smith will receive a second opinion on his back injury, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Smith was placed on the 10-day injured list by the A's on June 17 with a back strain, and the infielder remains without a timeline for a return. The second opinion from medical experts will likely go a long way towards determining when Smith is able to get back on the diamond, and there should be an update on his status in the coming days.

Diaz is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Yankees.

Tyler Wade will start at shortstop and bat eighth for the Athletics. Diaz has been getting more playing time with Kevin Smith (back) still sitting on the injured list, but the 32-year-old holds a weak .206/.264/.278 slash line in 197 plate appearances this season.

Chang (wrist) could resume his minor-league rehab assignment later this week, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Chang was pulled out of action at Triple-A Worcester earlier this month due to renewed soreness in his surgically-repaired left wrist, but he's made significant progress in recent days. Sidelined since late April, he could be an option again on the Red Sox infield before the All-Star break.

Smith, who last started a game June 15, has made nine plate appearances during the month of June.

Smith made 65 plate appearances in April then 47 in May before seeing his opportunities dwindle in June. With shortstop Corey Seager back from injury and Ezequiel Duran taking hold as the primary left fielder, Smith has been limited to an occasional start, a pinch-hit or pinch-run role or an injury fill-in.

Crawford went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks and two total runs in Monday's 8-4 win over Washington.

Crawford opened the bottom of the first inning with a leadoff homer to right field and reached base three more times in the contest. He's gone deep twice in three games since returning from a brief hiatus due to a shoulder injury. Crawford has never hit double-digit homers in a season, but he's on pace to do so this year with six long balls through 71 contests.

Neto (oblique) said he's planning to resume baseball activities Friday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Neto will be limited to light throwing at first before he then begins to incorporate a range of other drills. The young shortstop has been brought along slowly in his recovery from a left oblique strain, which sent him to the injured list June 15. There is no exact timetable yet for his return to the Angels' active major-league roster.

Franco went 0-for-3 with a walk and a steal in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Royals.

Franco was still able to provide a positive fantasy performance despite going hitless on the afternoon. He stole his 25th bag of the year, and his activity on the bases has been an added element to his game after he combined for just 10 steals over his first two major league seasons. Franco is putting together a productive year at the plate thus far, but has struggled over the course of June, slashing just .229/.295/.357 with two homers, seven RBI, five runs and a 7:11 BB:K since June 5.

Witt went 1-for-4 with a steal and a run scored in Sunday's loss to the Rays.

Witt singled to lead off the fourth and wound up stealing second before crossing home for the Royals' only run of the afternoon. The 23-year-old is now up to 23 steals on the year and is well on his way of surpassing the 30 steals he had in 150 games as a rookie last season. Witt has displayed some inconsistencies at the plate thus far, but has four hits over his last three games and is now slashing .247/.290/.426 with 12 homers, 38 RBI, 43 runs and a 19:67 BB:K over 334 plate appearances.