MLB Player News

Diaz (shoulder) isn't starting Wednesday against the Mets.

Diaz will be out of the lineup for a third consecutive game as he continues to deal with left shoulder soreness. However, he hit in the cage Wednesday and will be available off the bench if needed, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports. Mauricio Dubon will start at shortstop and bat ninth.

Story went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Tigers.

The 29-year-old infielder took Beau Brieske deep in the fourth inning, extending his current hitting streak to five games. Story has run hot and cold all season, and while he may be heating up again now, he's still slashing just .229/.289/.400 through 18 games in June with two of his 11 homers on the season.

Witt went 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs, a double, four RBI and a walk in Tuesday's 12-11 extra-innings win over the Angels.

Normally, a two-homer game from a big-name rookie would be the headline, but Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani put on an ever bigger show with a pair of long balls and eight RBI. Nonetheless, this was one of the best games of Witt's young career, and it ended a seven-game homer drought. The 22-year-old rookie is up to 10 homers, 36 RBI, 38 runs scored, 10 stolen bases and 16 doubles through 65 contests while adding a .243/.288/.458 slash line.

Allen went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 8-2 loss to the Mariners.

Allen provided the Athletics' only runs with his seventh-inning blast off Mariners starter Marco Gonzales. It was Allen's first big-league game since May 21, and the homer was his first career blast in the majors. He's still batting just .192 with two RBI and three runs scored through 29 plate appearances. A natural shortstop, Allen could challenge the struggling Elvis Andrus for playing time at that position, or he could see the short side of a platoon with Tony Kemp at second base.

Bichette went 1-for-5 with a run, an RBI, a walk and a stolen base in a 7-6 loss Tuesday against the White Sox.

Bichette gave the Blue Jays a 3-2 lead with his RBI single in the eighth inning. He served as the automatic runner in the 10th and came around to score. Tuesday marked the fourth consecutive game in which he struck out at least twice. His 24.5 percent strikeout rate is the worst of his career and a contributing factor to his struggles through the first two and a half months of 2022.

Baez went 3-for-5 with a triple, a solo home run and two runs scored in Tuesday's loss to the Red Sox.

It's been a rough first season in Detroit for Baez, who's batting just .209 overall with a .599 OPS. The shortstop has looked better lately, however, as he's now riding a six-game hitting streak. During that time, Baez is batting .375 with six extra-base hits and two stolen bases. Fantasy managers who have stayed patient might be in store for some sustained success from the 29-year-old.

Pena (thumb) took swings in the batting cage and was spotted fielding groundballs Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

In his most extensive workout since landing on the 10-day injured list six days ago due to left thumb injury, Pena looked to be taking part without any discomfort. He'll be eligible to come off the IL on Friday, but the Astros haven't said that he'll be cleared to play by then. More clarity on Pena's situation should become available within the next day or two.

Diaz (shoulder) is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets.

Even with the benefit of Monday's team off day, Diaz is apparently still dealing with too much discomfort in his left shoulder to rejoin the lineup. Mauricio Dubon will pick up another start at shortstop in place of Diaz, who had been serving as the primary option at the position while Jeremy Pena (thumb) is on the injured list.

Duran is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Phillies.

He'll bow out of the starting nine for the second time in three games with the Rangers opposing a right-handed starting pitcher (Kyle Gibson), and Duran's time as an everyday player could be over now that fellow rookie Josh H. Smith (shoulder) is back from the 10-day injured list. Since Smith hits from the left side of the plate, he could end up filling the strong side of a platoon at third base while Duran makes most of his starts at the position versus left-handed pitching. Duran has experience at second base and shortstop, too, but big-ticket offseason pickups Marcus Semien and Corey Seager won't get too many days off when both are healthy. Designated hitter doesn't look like a viable path to playing time either for Duran, as Mitch Garver (illness) was reinstated from the COVID-19-related injured list Tuesday and should be a fixture at that spot in the lineup moving forward.

The Rangers reinstated Smith (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list Tuesday. He'll start at third base and bat eighth in the Rangers' series opener against the Phillies.

Smith was deactivated June 4 due to a sprained left shoulder, but he moved past the injury in relatively expedient fashion and was cleared to rejoin the roster after going 3-for-16 with a walk, an RBI and a run during his four-game rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock last week. The Rangers will immediately slot him back into the starting nine Tuesday, but it's unclear if Smith or fellow rookie Ezequiel Duran will end up settling in as the team's preferred third baseman moving forward. Smith also saw time in center field with Round Rock earlier in the campaign and could be an option at that position if the Rangers at some point decide to pull the plug on Leody Taveras in an everyday role.