MLB Player News

Pena is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rangers after suffering a left wrist injury in Monday's 5-3 loss, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Pena went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run Monday and played the full eight innings in the field, but he looked to have hurt his wrist while making a diving attempt at a ball at one point during the contest. Astros manager Dusty Baker didn't suggest after the game that Pena's injury was anything significant, so the rookie may just be sitting Tuesday for precautionary purposes. Aledmys Diaz replaces Pena at shortstop.

Smith was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Smith is 0-for-16 at the dish over seven games in June and has just one hit over his last 40 at-bats, so he'll head to the minors to push the reset button. The Athletics have yet to announce a corresponding move.

Smith (shoulder) plans to take batting practice Monday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Smith has been on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder sprain since June 4 and is eligible to rejoin the active roster as early as Tuesday. While the 24-year-old appears to be trending in the right direction, he doesn't yet have a firm timetable to return to game action, and it's unclear whether he'll require a rehab assignment.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Franco (quadriceps) is scheduled to begin agility work Monday, Brian Hall of MLB.com reports.

A few days earlier, Cash told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that he didn't anticipate Franco would be ready to return from the 10-day injured list this week, so fantasy managers should continue to keep the 21-year-old on their reserve list for now. The impending agility work will mark Franco's first activity since he strained his right quad while running the bases in a May 30 game. Given Franco's long-term importance to the franchise, the Rays may want him to first test his quad in a brief minor-league rehab assignment before activating him from the IL.

Duran went 2-for-6 with a three-run home run and was caught stealing in Sunday's 8-6 extra-innings win over the White Sox.

It looked like Duran's three-run homer in the top of the 11th might be the game-winning knock, but the White Sox tied it in the bottom half. It was the second home run for Duran, who has started every game (seven at SS, one at 2B) since being added to the roster, going 10-for-33 during his first stint in the majors. The stolen base attempt was Duran's first as a member of the Rangers; the infielder stole 19 bags (caught nine times) in the minors last season and had seven (caught once) at Double-A Frisco in 2022.

Witt went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 10-7 loss to the Orioles.

Witt went deep in the seventh inning off Orioles reliever Keegan Akin. An off day Saturday did nothing to stall Witt's burgeoning hot streak -- he's 10-for-17 (.588) in his last five games, including three extra-base hits. He's lifted his season slash line to .244/.291/.456 with eight homers, 30 RBI, 34 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 14 doubles and four triples through 57 contests.

Pena went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, an additional run scored and a stolen base in Sunday's 9-4 win over the Marlins. He was also hit by a pitch.

Pena stretched the Astros' lead to 3-0 with his two-run shot in the fourth inning. He's gone 5-for-16 (.313) with three of his six stolen bases this year in his last five games. The rookie shortstop has maintained a solid .277/.330/.468 slash line with nine homers, 27 RBI and 26 runs scored through 53 contests as a regular presence in the bottom half of the lineup.

Crawford went 3-for-4 with a walk and two runs in a win over the Red Sox on Saturday.

Crawford's career-best tear at the plate continued in stellar fashion Saturday, with the veteran shortstop pushing his season line to .304/.395/.446 with his third multi-hit effort in the last four games. Crawford has just one extra-base hit, a double, over that span, but he's opened June reaching safely in nine of his first 10 games.

Anderson (groin) will start his rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Charlotte, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

The White Sox are losing ground in the AL Central, so getting Anderson back as soon as possible is a priority. With that in mind, he could be activated sometime next week if the rehab assignment goes well.

Velazquez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 11-6 victory against the Mets.

The Angels slugged five homers against New York in the win, and Velazquez contributed to that tally with his 402-foot solo shot in the sixth inning. The shortstop is mired in a 2-for-31 slump over his past 11 games, but both of his hits during that span have left the yard. Velazquez has four homers and eight stolen bases on the season, but he's slashing a paltry .177/.226/.280 across 178 plate appearances.