MLB Player News

Fletcher (foot) is starting at shortstop and batting leadoff Tuesday against the Mariners, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The 28-year-old exited Monday's contest after fouling a ball off his left foot and suffering a contusion, but it doesn't appear to be a significant concern since he's back in action a day later. Fletcher has a .358/.382/.528 slash line with two home runs and 10 RBI in 15 games since returning from the IL in late July.

Bogaerts isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Pirates due to a lower-shin injury, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

The 29-year-old fouled a ball off his shin over the weekend, and he'll take Tuesday off since he's apparently still feeling some soreness after Boston's scheduled day off Monday. Enrique Hernandez, fresh off the injured list, will start at shortstop with Bogaerts receiving an extra day to rest up.

Pena (neck) is batting seventh and playing shortstop Tuesday in Chicago, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

The neck stiffness that kept Pena out of Monday's game appears to have been minor. In 18 games since his last home run, Pena has slashed .194/.214/.239 with three doubles and four RBI.

Smith is on the bench for Tuesday's game against the Athletics.

Smith is on the bench for the fourth time in seven games, and he appears to have shifted into more of a super-utility role of late after previously seeing action as the Rangers' primary third baseman earlier this month. Ezequiel Duran has since taken over as the preferred option at the position, with his hot hitting and Smith's modest .576 OPS since the beginning of August likely being the primary factors.

Crawford went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI singles and a walk in a win over the Angels on Monday.

The veteran shortstop snapped a 1-1 tie with his third-inning knock, which drove home Jesse Winker, and he added another timely single in the ninth inning to cap off Seattle's wild six-run rally. Crawford now has three straight two-hit efforts and boasts an impressive .282 average and .370 on-base percentage over the 46 plate appearances covering his last 11 games.

Double-A Erie placed Perez on its 7-day injured list Tuesday due to an unspecified issue.

After a rough 2021 campaign, the 22-year-old switch-hitting Perez had re-established himself as one of the Tigers' better prospects by finding success at both High-A West Michigan and at the Double-A level. Since joining Erie in mid-June, Perez has produced a .307/.374/.533 slash line with 20 extra-base hits and a tidy 13.5 percent strikeout rate across 171 plate appearances.

Allen went 1-for-3 with one homer, one RBI and one run scored in Monday's loss to the Rangers.

The rookie shortstop took a 2-0 fastball from Glenn Otto 391 feet to left field for his third home run on the season and second in as many days. Despite the recent power surge, Allen should not be considered a home run producer as he never eclipsed six home runs in a single season in the minors. He should be considered a fringe option in deeper leagues down the stretch, as his season-long slash is a lowly .214/.280/.318.

Fletcher was removed from Monday's game against the Mariners due to a left foot contusion, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Fletcher managed to remain in the game after fouling a ball off his foot, but he was lifted prior to his next at-bat. He'll be considered day-to-day until further notice.

Franco (wrist) could return from the 10-day injured list as early as this weekend, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Franco is expected to join Triple-A Durham for a rehab assignment early this week, and he's closing in on his return from the injured list. Even if the 21-year-old isn't cleared to rejoin the Rays for their home series against the Royals this weekend, he'll likely be able to return sometime next week.

Pena was removed from the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox due to neck stiffness, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Pena was removed from Monday's lineup just over an hour before the start of the game, but he doesn't consider his neck injury serious and said that he's day-to-day. Mauricio Dubon is starting at shortstop and leading off.