MLB Player News

Bichette (foot) is starting Saturday against the Yankees.

Bichette sat out Friday's series opener due to a foot contusion, but he'll start at shortstop and bat second Saturday. He went 1-for-13 with a run, an RBI and two strikeouts over his last three games.

Seager went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and a walk in Friday's win over the Tigers.

Seager entered Friday's game with a disappointing .222 batting average, but raised it to .228 after his two-hit performance against the Tigers. The shortstop now has two multi-hit games in his last five and has at least one hit in six of his last eight games. Seager still has some work to do to fulfill expectations of both the Rangers and fantasy managers as his June slash line sits at .213/.290/.361.

Anderson (groin) is expected to return Monday against the Blue Jays, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Anderson has already missed nearly three weeks with a strained right groin, but it looks as though he'll only miss two more days. That fits with reports from earlier this week, which indicated that he could return for the start of the team's upcoming homestand. He's already gone 4-for-11 through three rehab games and will presumably make only one or two more appearances before returning to the active roster.

Lopez was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

The 23-year-old hit .225 with a homer, 14 runs, 14 RBI and four stolen bases over 35 games in Buffalo to begin the season, and he'll join the major-league club to provide additional infield depth while Bo Bichette (foot) is banged up. Lopez appeared in just one game for the Blue Jays last year.

Pena (thumb) is participating in baseball activities, though he's not yet fielding groundballs or swinging a bat, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 24-year-old landed on the injured list Wednesday with left thumb discomfort, so it's a good early sign he wasn't completely shut down from baseball activities. Pena isn't expected to resume swinging a bat for at least a week, so he shouldn't be expected to return from the 10-day injured list when first eligible June 24.

Franco (quadriceps) could rejoin the Rays for next weekend's series against the Pirates, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Franco responded well to full workouts Thursday and Friday and has officially been cleared to serve as the designated hitter in a game with the Rays' rookie-level Florida Coast League affiliate Saturday, prior to playing shortstop Monday. If he feels good afterward, he's expected to report to Triple-A Durham next week as the final step in his recovery process.

Bichette (foot) isn't in the lineup Friday against the Yankees.

Bichette has been diagnosed with a foot contusion after exiting Thursday's matchup against Baltimore. He ran on the field prior to Friday's game to test his injury but will be held out of the starting nine for at least one matchup. Santiago Espinal is shifting to shortstop while Cavan Biggio starts at second base Friday.

Duran went 1-for-4 with a triple and three RBI in Thursday's 3-1 win over Detroit.

Duran delivered a bases-clearing, two-out triple off Tigers closer Gregory Soto in the top of the ninth inning to give the Rangers a lead that they protected in the bottom half of the frame. It was Texas' 15th come-from-behind victory in 2022. The rookie infielder keeps padding his MLB resume since being called up earlier this month. Duran, who had never played above Double-A at the time of his promotion, is slashing .319/.333/.553 with two home runs, one triple, three doubles, eight RBI, two stolen bases and eight runs scored over 12 games. The black hole that was third base is not an issue at the moment for Texas.

Crawford (illness) went 1-for-4 with an RBI double in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Angels.

Crawford prevented the Mariners from getting shut out by hitting an RBI double in the eighth inning. The shortstop missed two games while recovering from food poisoning, and he's now 2-for-12 across his last three contests after a hot start to June. The 27-year-old has maintained a .296/.374/.435 slash line with five home runs, three stolen bases, 16 RBI, 28 runs scored and 13 doubles through 59 games overall. He hit leadoff Thursday, and manager Scott Servais said Crawford is likely to remain atop the order going forward, per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com.

Velazquez isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against Seattle, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Velazquez started in the last six matchups but will get a breather after he went 0-for-7 with four strikeouts over the last three games. Tyler Wade is shifting to shortstop while Luis Rengifo starts at second base.