MLB Player News

Baez went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Friday's win over the Royals.

The home run was Baez's 12th of the season and first since Aug. 11. He actually hit just the one long ball last month, but the shortstop is notoriously streaky, so a power surge could come at any time. It's been a disappointing first season in Detroit overall for Baez, though he still has the talent to make an impact for fantasy managers down the stretch.

Velazquez isn't starting Friday against the Astros, Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Velazquez has gone 0-for-9 with six strikeouts over his last four matchups and will be held out of the lineup for a second consecutive game. David Fletcher is starting at shortstop and leading off.

Franco (wrist) said Friday that he feels "super good" and believes he is nearing a return, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reports.

He started hitting in batting practice at the beginning of this week and hasn't had any issues with his wrist. If all continues to go well, Franco said he expects to go to Triple-A Durham for a few rehab games. This isn't a concrete timeline provided by the team, but it sounds like Franco could be activated as soon as next week.

Crawford, who'd been out of the starting lineup for the previous three games with a pectoral injury, went 0-for-4 with a walk and a run in a win over the Tigers on Thursday.

Crawford had already appeared off the bench Wednesday and was deemed healthy enough to play the field Thursday after his second-longest stretch of absences this season. Crawford's recent offensive struggles persisted, however, as he's now hitting just .154 (4-for-26) over his last nine games.

Volpe was promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Oswald Peraza got the call to the majors Thursday, leaving shortstop vacant at the highest level of the Yankees' farm system. Volpe deserved the promotion, as he's maintained a 122 wRC+ with 18 homers and 44 steals across 492 plate appearances with Double-A Somerset for the season.

Duran is out of the lineup for Thursday's game at Boston.

Duran started the past 10 games and will receive a day off after he posted a .696 OPS during that span. Charlie Culberson will take over at the hot corner and bat eighth Thursday.

Story isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Rangers, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Story has been productive at the plate since returning from the injured list last weekend, having gone 7-for-15 with a double, two runs, two stolen bases, a walk and four strikeouts over four games. However, he'll get a day off Thursday while Christian Arroyo starts at the keystone and bats sixth.

Mateo isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Guardians, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Mateo is getting a breather after he hit just .087 with a double, a walk and eight strikeouts over the last eight games. Gunnar Henderson is taking over at shortstop and batting fifth.

Crawford (pectoral) will start at shortstop and bat sixth in Thursday's game against the Tigers, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

After three straight absences from the lineup due to a pectoral injury, Crawford showed enough progress to gain clearance to play in the series finale in Detroit. Due to Crawford's injury, in addition to Dylan Moore landing on the injured list with an oblique strain, Adam Frazier had to cover shortstop the past two days, but he should return to his more natural spot at second base now that Crawford is ready to go.

Story went 3-for-5 with a double and a stolen base in a 6-5 win over the Twins on Wednesday.

Story was one of four Boston hitters with multiple hits in the contest, though none of his knocks resulted in a score. The infielder also boosted his fantasy line with a stolen base in the seventh inning. Since returning from a lengthy stay on the injured list Aug. 27, Story has gone 7-for-15 with two runs and two thefts.