MLB Player News

Story (hand) tracked pitches Friday but isn't yet swinging a bat, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Story is feeling better following the All-Star break but hasn't yet been cleared for full activity. The 29-year-old should be on the injured list longer than the minimum of 10 days, and a clearer timetable for his return will presumably come into focus once he's able to ramp up his workload.

Allen is not in the starting lineup Friday against the Rangers.

Allen will get a breather after he went 1-for-6 with two strikeouts while starting both games of Thursday's doubleheader with the Tigers. Tony Kemp will handle second base while Chad Pinder starts in left field in the series opener.

Martinez was placed on the 7-day injured list at High-A Lake County on Friday with a strained left shoulder.

Martinez has an .869 OPS in 61 games for Lake County this season but will now be unavailable due to the shoulder issue. The severity of the strain remains unclear, though the 20-year-old will be eligible to be reinstated from the IL next week.

Duran started at second base and batted ninth in Thursday's 8-0 win over the Marlins, going 1-for-4 with a run scored.

Duran was called up from Triple-A Round Rock after the Rangers placed Brad Miller (neck) on the injured list. Marcus Semien, the primary starter at second base, moved to shortstop as Corey Seager got the day off. This is Duran's second stint in the majors this season, and he was one of three members of the lineup -- along with Josh Smith and Elier Hernandez -- getting their first taste of MLB in 2022. Throw the 23-year-old Leody Taveras into the mix, and a picture of an organization building toward next year's squad emerges.

Baez went 3-for-9 with two runs scored across both games of Thursday's doubleheader against the Athletics.

Baez was dynamic in Game 1 with three hits before going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the nightcap. That's par for the course with the streaky shortstop. While he's batting just .216 this season and .211 in July, he does have two home runs, 10 RBI and 10 runs scored across 18 games this month, so he has at least contributed some counting stats despite struggling to make consistent contact.

Diaz is out of the lineup for the second game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Yankees, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Diaz, who went 1-for-4 with a double in the Astros' 3-2 win in Game 1, will see his streak of three straight starts come to an end. Chas McCormick will replace Diaz in left field for the nightcap, and the two will likely have to battle for one spot in the lineup moving forward with the Astros bringing back designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) from the injured list earlier Thursday. Another everyday player, Michael Brantley (shoulder), remains on the IL coming out of the All-Star break, but he's without a clear timeline for a return.

Duran was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday. He'll start at second base and bat ninth in Thursday's game against the Marlins.

The 23-year-old was sent to the minors in late June but will rejoin the Rangers after Brad Miller (neck) was placed on the 10-day injured list. Duran shifted to a platoon role prior to his demotion and will likely serve as a depth infielder during Miller's absence.

Seager is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's game in Miami.

Seager will get a breather for the Rangers' first game of the second half after he appeared in the All-Star Game on Tuesday on the other side of the country. Marcus Semien will slide over to shortstop while Charlie Culberson enters the lineup at second base and bats ninth Thursday.

Downs went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 13-2 loss to the Yankees.

Downs brought Boston to within one run with the first home run of his MLB career, a two-run shot off Gerrit Cole in the third inning. Sunday may have been his final MLB action at this juncture, as the Red Sox anticipate the returns of Christian Arroyo (groin) and Trevor Story (hand) after the All-Star break.

Pena went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run Sunday against the Athletics.

Pena took Adam Oller yard in the fifth inning to record his 13th homer of the season. In seven games since returning from health and safety protocols, Pena has hit .207 with four RBI and two runs scored. Despite the slow stretch, Pena has still maintained a .263/.310/.454 across 284 plate appearances on the season.