MLB Player News

Allen is not in the lineup for Sunday's game at Baltimore.

Allen started the past 10 games and will head to the bench after he posted a .486 OPS during that span. Sheldon Neuse will take over at shortstop and bat eighth in Sunday's series finale.

Baez (undisclosed) is starting at shortstop and batting third Sunday against the Royals, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Baez departed Saturday's contest with an unspecified injury, but it doesn't appear to be a serious concern since he's back in the lineup for Sunday's series finale. The 29-year-old shortstop is 8-for-25 with a home run, three walks, four RBI and four runs over his past seven contests.

Bichette went 2-for-4 with a three-run double and a run scored in Saturday's win over the Pirates.

Bichette scored on a Raimel Tapia groundout in the fourth inning, then smacked a deep double in the seventh that scored Matt Chapman, George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero. Bichette has been on fire recently, going 9-for-23 (.310) with five RBI and four runs scored over his last six games. During that span, the shortstop has raised his batting average from .259 to .265.

Witt went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Saturday's win against the Tigers.

Witt launched a three-run blast in the third that scored MJ Melendez and Nicky Lopez. It was his 20th home run and his second in the last four days. Since ending an eight-game hit streak Aug. 28, Witt has gone 4-for-28 with eight strikeouts. Despite that, the young shortstop has been productive on the basepaths and at the plate, picking up five runs and five RBI during that span. Witt's season batting average sits at .248 after Saturday's contest.

Mateo went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 8-1 win over the Athletics.

With the steal -- his first since Aug. 23 -- Mateo joined Orioles teammate Cedric Mullins atop the American League leaderboard with 29. Both Baltimore speedsters are three back of Miami's Jon Berti for the major-league lead. Mateo hasn't had many chances to run of late since he's gone just 6-for-34 (.176) with one walk in his last 10 contests. The slump has dropped his slash line back to .229/.276/.398 with 12 home runs, 45 RBI and 53 runs scored through 123 contests. He's served primarily as the Orioles' starting shortstop this year, though Mateo may cycle out of the lineup on occasion if manager Brandon Hyde wants to see how top prospect Gunnar Henderson handles the position.

Baez exited Saturday's game against the Royals with an apparent injury, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

It wasn't obvious what forced Baez from the game. However, McCosky notes that Baez had a rough night physically, as he was slid into at second base and appeared to tweak something while chasing a flyball in the first inning. Baez singled twice prior to leaving and should be considered day-to-day heading into Sunday's series finale.

Diaz (groin) ran and went through lateral movement drills prior to Saturday's game against the Angels, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Diaz hasn't played since mid-August, but he's taking steps in the right direction. He's expected to begin a rehab assignment Thursday, Rome reports.

Franco (wrist) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham on Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Franco hit on the field ahead of Saturday's game against the Yankees and will see some game action in the minors to close out the weekend. The 21-year-old is expected to remain in the minors for about a week, so Franco seems likely to be back in action around Sept. 12, when the Rays begin a series in Toronto.

Mateo went 1-for-4 with a two-run single in Friday's 5-2 win over Oakland.

Mateo put the final runs on the board for the Orioles, knocking in Ryan Mountcastle and Cedric Mullins on a single in the eighth inning. Prior to Friday, Mateo had gone hitless in his last two games. It was Mateo's first RBI since Aug. 23. Just one more steal would tie Mateo with his teammate Mullins for the American League lead, but the former has not swiped a bag in eight games. He is slashing .227/.274/.394 to go along with a career-high 12 home runs.

Bichette went 3-for-5 with a double and a two-run home run in Friday's 4-0 victory over the Pirates.

The Blue Jays were already up 2-0 in the ninth inning, but Bichette solidified the win with a two-run shot that scored Whit Merrifield. It was Bichette's 18th homer of the season and his first since he hit two versus the Orioles on Aug. 9. The shortstop has been hitting well lately, going 7-for-19 (.368) over his last five games. Bichette has improved his batting average from .259 to .263 over that span.