MLB Player News

Witt isn't starting Thursday against the White Sox.

Witt is getting a breather after he hit .200 with four RBI and a run over the last five games. Nicky Lopez will shift to shortstop while Michael Massey starts at second base.

Chang went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Brewers.

Chang took Brandon Woodruff yard in the fifth inning to record his third homer of the campaign. He's started three of the team's last four games, which has come at the expense of Ji-Man Choi. Though a limited sample, Chang has hit .333 with two homers, six RBI and six runs scored in 16 games since joining the Rays.

Smith isn't starting Wednesday against Houston.

Smith is out of the lineup for the second time in the last three games after he went 0-for-3 with a run, a stolen base and a strikeout during Tuesday's loss to the Astros. Ezequiel Duran is shifting to third base while Brad Miller serves as the designated hitter.

Basabe has hit .288/.361/.374 with zero home runs, five steals and a 15:18 BB:K through 34 games since being promoted to Double-A Montgomery in late June.

He at least managed to hit four homers and post a .463 slugging percentage over 55 games in High-A ahead of the promotion, but the higher level has served only to highlight Basabe's lack of power. Basabe is essentially a high-contact slap hitter -- he doesn't strike out much and offers good-but-not-great speed on the bases. There could be a place for that in the major leagues, but Basabe is profiling like a utility player who offers little in the way of fantasy value.

Diaz is not in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Rangers.

Diaz will get a day off after he went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Tuesday's win. Chas McCormick will take over in left field and bat seventh versus Texas.

Fletcher will start at second base and bat leadoff in Wednesday's game against the Athletics.

Fletcher will stick atop the lineup for the third consecutive contest, with the Angels facing off against one right-hander (James Kaprielian) and two lefties (Cole Irvin and JP Sears) during that stretch. Though he'll be occupying second base Wednesday, Fletcher looks like he could see more playing time down the stretch at shortstop, a position in which the Angels have struggled to extract production from Andrew Velazquez. Fletcher could be a decent source of batting average, runs and steals if he ends up getting an extended run as the Angels' table setter.

Crawford isn't starting Wednesday against the Yankees.

Crawford is out of the lineup for the first time since July 15 after he went 2-for-18 with an RBI, two walks and a strikeout over the last five games. Dylan Moore will start at shortstop and bat seventh after he was reinstated from the injured list Wednesday.

Franco (wrist) could be ready to resume taking live batting practice as soon as Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Just under a month after getting surgery to repair a fractured hamate bone in his right wrist, Franco appears to be roughly in line with where the Rays had hoped he would be up to this point in his recovery. He'll likely hit off a tee or take dry swings over the next few days as the Rays look to gauge whether he's fit to face live pitching this weekend. If Franco does get the green light to take BP, he could be cleared to start throwing and taking part in fielding work next week. Franco was expected to be sidelined for 5-to-8 weeks at the time of his surgery, so he would seemingly have a shot at being ready to return from the IL by the end of August.

Diaz went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Rangers.

Diaz's fourth-inning blast off Martin Perez was his second grand slam of the season and helped the Astros dig out of an early 4-0 hole. The 32-year-old was making his third consecutive start at a different position Wednesday, but he'll likely see the bulk of his opportunities in left field moving forward. Chas McCormick looks to be the primary threat to Diaz's playing time, though the Astros could soon give trade-deadline pickup Trey Mancini some exposure to the corner outfield.

Seager went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 7-5 loss to Houston.

The muscle at the top of the batting order gave the Rangers an early lead. In addition to Seager's third-inning blast, Marcus Semien (first inning) and Adolis Garcia (fifth inning) homered off Jose Urquidy, but Martin Perez could not hold the lead. The homer was the 25th for Seager, who upped his line to .250/.329/.475 over 103 games.