MLB Player News

Velazquez is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rays.

Interim manager Phil Nevin is clearing a spot in the lineup for Jose Rojas at third base Tuesday, so Velazquez will take a seat while Luis Rengifo handles the keystone and David Fletcher shifts to shortstop. Velazquez had manned shortstop for each of the past three contests, going 5-for-9 with a solo home run and a double.

Allen is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Marlins.

Allen started the past 17 games, including six straight following the release of veteran Elvis Andrus, but the 23-year-old will head to the bench for Tuesday's contest. Sheldon Neuse will take over at shortstop and bat ninth.

Story (wrist) will report to Double-A Portland on Wednesday to begin a rehab assignment, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Story was cleared to resume game action for the first time since July 12 after he was able to take batting practice Tuesday without any renewed discomfort in his fractured right wrist, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports. The Red Sox haven't specified how long Story's rehab assignment will last, but he'll presumably need multiple games to regain his timing at the plate and get comfortable in the field again after being sidelined with the injury for the past five weeks.

Correa went 2-for-3 with a triple and a walk in Monday's loss to the Rangers.

After a mini slump where he went 3-for-20 over his last five games, Correa broke out with two hits and a walk Monday, including his first triple of the season. The multi-hit effort was his first since Aug. 14 and bumped his season-long slash up to .269/.352/.431. While the triple was just his third extra-base hit in August, his .424 SLG is lagging well behind his xSLG of .471 this season, indicating positive power regression may be coming.

Witt went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 6-4 win over the White Sox.

Witt has gone nine games without a multi-hit effort, batting just .182 (6-for-33). He's added a home run, two steals, three RBI and three runs scored in that span. The rookie infielder is slashing .250/.293/.431 with 16 homers, 24 steals in 28 attempts, 60 RBI and 60 runs scored through 113 contests overall.

Mateo went 2-for-4 with a three-run double in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Red Sox.

Mateo provided the pivotal play of the night in the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pa., stepping to the plate in a 2-2 game with one out in the eighth inning and the bases juiced to deliver his 38th extra-base knock of the season. Due to his poor .283 on-base percentage, Mateo should continue to hit near the bottom of the Baltimore lineup, but his combination of power hitting and speed (27 stolen bases in 34 attempts on the season) makes him worthy of a roster spot even in most shallow leagues.

Bogaerts went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Orioles.

Bogaerts tried to spark a rally in the ninth inning, taking Orioles closer Felix Bautista deep, but that was the last run of the game. The long ball snapped Bogaerts' 14-game homer drought. He's hit 10 long balls this season while adding 50 RBI, 66 runs scored, seven stolen bases and a .299/.370/.441 slash line through 116 contests.

The Rangers optioned Smith to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Shortly after the All-Star break, Smith's hold on the everyday third-base job had started to loosen, with the rookie having handled more of a utility role of late. Considering Smith had started in only two of the previous five games and was batting just .206 in August, the Rangers evidently felt the 25-year-old was best off heading back to Triple-A to regain confidence at the dish and play on a more frequent basis. Outfielder Kole Calhoun (heel) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list and took over Smith's spot on the 26-man active roster.

Franco was pulled off his rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham on Sunday after experiencing lingering soreness in his surgically-repaired right wrist while swinging the bat, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After starting the rehab assignment at Durham on Tuesday, Franco appeared in just one game before the Rays opted to have him rest for a few days with the hope that it provide sufficient time for the pain in his wrist to dissipate. However, the four consecutive days off apparently weren't enough to resolve the issue, so Franco will head back to the team's facility in St. Petersburg for further treatment. Since he hasn't played for the big club since July 9, Franco will likely need to head back to a minor-league affiliate for game action at some point before being activated from the 10-day injured list, but it's unclear when he might be able to do that in light of the setback.

Chang went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored Saturday against the Royals.

Chang drew the start at second base with southpaw Kris Bubic on the mound, sending Brandon Lowe to the bench. Chang has started only two of the team's last six games -- both against lefties. So long as the Rays' infield remains relatively healthy, he figures to occupy a limited role. For the season, Chang has a .211/.276/.316 line across 127 plate appearances with three different teams.