MLB Player News

Witt went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's win over San Francisco.

Witt got the Royals on the scoreboard with his second homer of the season in the sixth inning off Giants starter Sean Manaea. The shortstop also struck out twice, however, and has struggled to a .161/.235/.355 slash line over the first nine games. It's just a matter of time until more hits start falling for Witt.

Mateo is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Yankees with ankle soreness, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Mateo will take a seat for Saturday's contest against the Yankees, so Gunnar Henderson will slide over to shortstop and Ramon Urias will handle third base. Mateo should be considered day-to-day for the time being.

Crawford went 2-for-4 with two RBI from a pair of run-scoring doubles and two runs in a win over the Guardians on Friday.

The veteran shortstop made plenty of noise out of the No. 9 spot in the order, belting RBI two-baggers in both the fifth and sixth innings to plate Cooper Hummel and Jarred Kelenic, respectively. Crawford opened the season with just one hit in his first 14 plate appearances, but he's now recorded a trio of two-hit efforts over the last four contests.

Pena is starting at shortstop and batting sixth Saturday against the Twins, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Pena hit atop the order in the Astros' first eight games of the season, but he'll move down the lineup after going 0-for-5 with four strikeouts Friday, which dropped his average to .171. Chas McCormick will bat leadoff Saturday as manager Dusty Baker tries to replace Jose Altuve (thumb) atop the lineup.

Smith started in left field and went 1-for-2 and was hit by a pitch in Friday's 2-0 loss to the Cubs.

Smith returned to action after recovering from a facial injury, which was the result of being hit by a pitch. The utility man has been hit by pitches three times in 11 plate appearances. With news that center fielder Leody Taveras (oblique) has begun a rehab assignment, Smith's days as the starting left fielder against right-handers are numbered. When Taveras is ready, Robbie Grossman is expected to move from right to left field, while Adolis Garcia slides from center to right field.

Franco went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Friday against the Athletics.

Franco took Adam Oller deep in the eighth inning to tally his third homer of the season and second in as many games. He's gotten off to an impressive start to the new campaign, as he has at least one hit in six of seven contests and has tallied multiple hits on four occasions. Overall, Franco has chipped in across the board with two stolen bases, five runs scored and eight RBI.

Anderson went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two stolen bases and four runs scored Friday against the Pirates.

Anderson snapped out of a short cold stretch, as he tallied his fourth multi-hit game of the season and first since April 1. He also remained aggressive on the basepaths, and his pair of stolen bases Friday brought his total on the campaign to four. Overall, Anderson has also chipped in seven runs scored and four extra-base hits (all doubles) across 36 plate appearances.

Bichette went 2-for-4 with a go-ahead three-run home run and a double in Friday's win over the Angels.

With the Blue Jays trailing in the seventh inning, Bichette took Jimmy Herget deep to give Toronto a 4-3 lead and ultimately a victory. It's the second homer of the season for the shortstop, and he's driven in six runs. After getting off to a slow start in 2022 it's nice to see early success for Bichette, as seen in a .342/.359/.553 slash line over the first eight contests of 2023.

Mateo went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 7-6 win over the Yankees.

Starting at shortstop and batting ninth, Mateo continues to run wild. He's now tied for the big-league lead in steals with five, matching Gleyber Torres and Myles Straw. Mateo is also supplying plenty of early value with his bat too, and the 27-year-old is hitting .350 (7-for-20) with two home runs, five RBI and seven runs through six games.

Witt isn't in the Royals' lineup for Friday's game against the Giants.

After breaking a cold streak by going 2-for-5 with a home run Thursday, Witt will get a day to rest Friday. The young infielder will yield shortstop duties to Nicky Lopez, who will bat seventh.