MLB Player News

Allen went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Sunday's victory over the Royals.

Allen picked up both of his RBI on a late single, sending Chad Pinder and Cristian Pache to the plate. The shortstop has played in four games since June 21 and has a hit in three of them while only striking out once during that span. Allen may be earning himself some more playing time as he is slashing .273/.429/.636 this month.

Story went 2-for-6 with a stolen base and two RBI in a 8-3 win Sunday in Cleveland.

Story singled and stole his 10th base in the second and added a two-run single in the sixth. The stolen base gives him double-digit steals and homers for the fifth consecutive season. While his .227/.304/.414 is not what Boston had in mind when they signed him to a $140 million contract in the offseason, his counting stats are fairly good and he's on pace to hit over 20 homers, drive in over 100 runs and steal more than 20 bases.

Crawford was ejected in the second inning of Sunday's game against the Angels for his involvement in a benches-clearing brawl, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports. He went 0-for-1 before exiting the contest.

Crawford was one of eight players or managers from the two teams who was sent to the locker room for the rest of the game after play resumed following an 18-minute delay. Footage from the brawl courtesy of Bally Sports West appeared to show Crawford throwing a punch, so he could be subject to a suspension once MLB reviews the incident and doles out punishment.

Velazquez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Velazquez will sit for the second time in the series while Luis Rengifo and Matt Duffy serve as the Angels' starting middle infielders Sunday. Since the start of June, Velazquez has slashed an anemic .105/.136/.228 while striking out at a whopping 44.1 percent clip, so his hold on an everyday role could be tenuous.

Smith will start at third base and bat leadoff in Sunday's game against the Nationals.

Smith's path to everyday playing time at the hot corner looks clear after fellow rookie Ezequiel Duran was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday, and the 24-year-old could get a chance to hit out of the prominent spot in the lineup moving forward. According to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, manager Chris Woodward said Smith "has a lot of qualities of a leadoff guy," perhaps hinting that Smith could continue to slot atop the lineup for additional contests beyond Sunday. Smith, who has produced an .881 OPS to go with two stolen bases through his first 28 MLB plate appearances, at least looks like an interesting speculative pickup in 12-team or deeper mixed leagues where he might be available.

Allen will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Royals, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Allen will stick in the lineup for the fifth time in six games, with three of his starts coming at second base and two coming at shortstop. The keystone looks like a clearer path to playing time for Allen, as the Athletics can move Tony Kemp off second base and deploy him in the corner outfield to facilitate room in the lineup for the rookie. Allen's stint as a near-everyday player will likely last as long as he remains useful at the plate. Through his first four games since his call-up from Triple-A, Allen has gone 3-for-11 with a home run, a double, three walks, three RBI and three runs.

The Rays activated Franco (quadriceps) from the 10-day injured list Sunday. He'll start at shortstop and bat second in the Rays' series finale with the Pirates, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Franco was on the shelf for just under a month with a left quad strain, but the 21-year-old looks ready to go after recently wrapping up a five-game rehab assignment in the minors. He'll immediately slot back in as Tampa Bay's everyday shortstop, leaving Taylor Walls and Vidal Brujan to vie for playing time at the keystone.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.

Diaz, who started the last two games after missing four straight contests due to right shoulder soreness, is expected to move back into a utility role on a full-time basis moving forward after the Astros reinstated top shortstop Jeremy Pena (thumb) from the 10-day injured list Sunday. While Pena was sidelined for approximately two weeks, Diaz went 4-for-22 with a double, a walk, two runs and zero RBI while serving as Houston's primary shortstop.

Houston reinstated Pena (thumb) from the 10-day injured list Sunday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. He'll start at shortstop and bat sixth in the Astros' series finale in New York versus the Yankees.

The Astros optioned outfielder Chas McCormick to Triple-A Sugar Land to clear room on the 26-man active roster for Pena, who had been sidelined since June 13 with left thumb discomfort. Though the rookie wasn't sent out on a minor-league rehab assignment while he was on the shelf, he proved his health by completing multiple workouts that included a full array of baseball activities. Expect Pena to immediately reclaim duties as the Astros' everyday shortstop after batting .277 with nine home runs, six stolen bases, 27 RBI and 27 runs in 54 games prior to landing on the IL.

Smith started at third base and went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Saturday's 3-2 win over Washington.

Smith, who stole 21 bases in the minors last year, swiped his second bag since joining the Rangers and has a combined 10 in the minors and majors in 2022. With Saturday's news that Ezequiel Duran was optioned back to the minors, Smith should get a steady supply of plate appearances as Texas' primary third baseman.