MLB Player News

Diaz isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Mariners, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Diaz started the last four games and went 3-for-15 with a double, three runs, a walk and a strikeout over that stretch. Chas McCormick is taking over in left field and batting seventh.

Witt (hamstring) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees.

Witt will be excluded from the starting nine for the fourth straight game, but he still appears to have a chance to avoid a trip to the injured list. According to Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star, Witt is scheduled to go through a full pregame workout Thursday that includes batting practice, potentially making him available off the bench in a pinch-hitting capacity. The Royals still elected to bring aboard Maikel Garcia from Double-A Northwest Arkansas as some added insurance in the middle infield while Witt tends to the hamstring injury, and Garcia will pick up his first MLB start at shortstop in the series opener.

Crawford went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run in a win over the Rangers on Wednesday.

The hot-hitting shortstop extended his on-base streak to 19 consecutive starts with Wednesday's production. Crawford boasts a .343 on-base percentage in the last eight games specifically, a stretch during which he has a trio of two-hit efforts.

Mateo went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-4 extra-inning loss to the Rays.

Mateo had the Orioles' lone extra-base hit of the contest, a one-out solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning to force an extra frame. The shortstop's .215/.264/.370 slash line for the season is nothing special, but he's through 21 games in July he has a .279/.328/.508 line with two homers, five stolen bases, eight RBI, 12 runs scored, two triples and four doubles.. On the year, he's racked up 24 steals, eight long balls, 26 RBI and 37 runs scored while regularly batting at the bottom of the order.

Downs isn't starting Wednesday against the Guardians, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Downs went 0-for-11 with eight strikeouts over three games following the All-Star break and will retreat to the bench for a third consecutive matchup. Yolmer Sanchez is starting at the keystone and batting ninth.

Crawford, who went 2-for-4 with a run in a win over the Rangers on Tuesday, has now hit safely in each of the last 18 games during which he's registered a plate appearance.

The impressive streak dates back to June 28 and has seen Crawford produce a .271/.316/.343 slash line with seven RBI, four walks and 12 runs. Crawford has also struck out at just a 6.6 percent rate during that span, which has pushed his season-long figure down to a career-low 13.4 percent.

Smith will sit Wednesday versus the Mariners.

Smith will take a seat after he went 2-for-6 over the first two contests of the series. Ezequiel Duran will start at third base and bat seventh against Seattle.

Martinez (shoulder) was activated from the 7-day injured list at High-A Lake County on Wednesday.

Martinez missed about two weeks of action with a left shoulder strain. He was surging prior to the injury, slashing .348/.412/.652 in his last 11 games. Overall, he's maintained a strong .276/.393/.476 slash line with eight home runs, 22 RBI, 33 runs scored and eight stolen bases in 61 contests, so it's possible the infield prospect eventually gets a look at Double-A Akron before the end of the year.

Pena will sit Wednesday against the Athletics.

Pena will sit after he went 3-for-8 with a solo home run, a double and three runs scored over the first two games of the series. The 24-year-old currently owns a eight-game hit streak, batting .303 with three homers, four RBI and six runs over that stretch. Mauricio Dubon will take over at shortstop and bat seventh in the series finale.

Allen isn't starting Wednesday against the Astros.

Allen went 3-for-16 with a run, an RBI and three strikeouts over his first six games following the All-Star break, but he'll head to the bench for a second consecutive matchup. Tony Kemp is shifting to second base while Chad Pinder serves as the designated hitter.