MLB Player News

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.

Baez went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Saturday's win over the Diamondbacks.

Baez was also caught stealing for the first time this season in four attempts and was picked off first base, too, so his stat line could have been better. This was actually a pretty tame performance for the shortstop compared to other recent results. He crushed a grand slam Friday and homered in his two games before that as well, recording seven total RBI across the three contests. Baez can be a streaky player, but when he's in a groove, he typically delivers elite fantasy production. It looks like he's in a groove right now.

Bichette went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's loss against the Brewers.

Bichette's solo shot came in the eighth inning with the Blue Jays down four runs. It was his second home run in three games, his fifth this month and his 12th on the year. The shortstop has a hit in seven of his last eight games, but he also has 13 strikeouts during that span, and he's posted a .256 average on the season.

Mateo went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, a walk and three runs scored in a 6-2 win over the White Sox on Saturday.

Mateo isn't known for his power bat, but the speedster had an excellent night at the plate with two extra-base hits, including his fifth home run of the season. The No. 9 hitter has a paltry .583 OPS this season, but he is 19-for-22 in steal attempts and is tied for the second-most stolen bases in MLB.

Witt went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's loss to Oakland.

Witt put the Royals on the board in the bottom of the third on a solo shot off Jared Koenig. The rookie has a hit in back-to-back games after picking up two Saturday and has a total of six hits in his last four games. The home run was Witt's 11th of the year and goes along with 10 steals and a .243/.286/.468 slash line.

Allen went 1-for-3 with an RBI double and two runs scored in Saturday's victory over Kansas City.

Allen sent Elvis Andrus home on an RBI double in the fourth inning, then came around to score two batters later thanks to a Jonah Bride single. Allen also scored on Tony Kemp's homer in the eighth inning. The shortstop has seen limited time this season, but he has played in four games this week and picked up a hit in three of them. Allen will have to continue to hit if he wants to stay in the lineup.

Diaz went 1-for-4 with a double and a strikeout Saturday against the Yankees.

Diaz returned from a shoulder injury Friday and has started each of Houston's games at shortstop since. He recorded a double in the ninth inning Saturday but was later thrown out at home trying to score on a single by Yuli Gurriel. Diaz's time as Houston's primary shortstop is likely to be short-lived, as Jeremy Pena (thumb) is expected to return Sunday.

Duran was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday.

Duran was recently moved into a platoon role, but he will now return to Triple-A. After a hot start following his call up June 4, the 23-year-old went 1-for-15 over his final four games. With Josh H. Smith back from his shoulder injury and Corey Seager and Marcus Semien holding down their respective positions, there simply wasn't anywhere for him to crack the lineup consistently. Duran will remain a top candidate to get recalled in the coming months.

Lopez was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday.

Lopez spent a week on the major-league roster but failed to make any plate appearances during his time with the Blue Jays. He'll head back to Buffalo after Zack Collins was recalled Saturday. Lopez has appeared in 35 games at the Triple-A level this year and has hit .225 with a homer, 14 runs, 14 RBI and four stolen bases.

Mateo went 0-for-2 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, two stolen bases and a run scored in Friday's 4-1 win over the White Sox.

Mateo has gone a poor 3-for-30 over his last 10 games, but he's still found a way to rack up five stolen bases in that span. The shortstop is up to 19 steals in 22 attempts this year. The weak hitting lately has dropped his season slash line to .196/.241/.311 with four home runs, 16 RBI and 20 runs scored in 65 contests overall.