MLB Player News

Diaz went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Friday's 10-3 win over the Royals.

Diaz was just 1-for-13 in his previous five games, but he broke that skid in a big way Friday. The utility man hit a two-run home run in the second inning to open the scoring and added an RBI single in the fourth. This was his seventh multi-hit game in 33 contests this season. With a .233/.282/.330 slash line in 110 plate appearances, Diaz shouldn't be expected to see much more than a reserve role when the Astros' lineup is healthy.

Smith left Friday's game against the Mariners with left shoulder soreness, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

He will be further evaluated in the next day, so for now he should be considered day-to-day. Smith went 1-for-3 as the leadoff hitter before exiting. Charlie Culberson replaced him at third base.

Velazquez is not in Friday's lineup against the Phillies, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

He is hitting .200 with one home run and two steals over his last 60 at-bats. Manager Joe Maddon recently called Velazquez "the best shortstop in the American League," according to Greg Joyce of the New York Post. It's that strong defense that has earned Velazquez this much playing time this season. Tyler Wade will start at shortstop and hit ninth.

Owings was placed on the bereavement list Friday.

Since players are required to spend between three and seven days on the bereavement list, the 30-year-old will be unavailable for the Orioles' weekend series against the Guardians. Tyler Nevin should see a slight uptick in playing time while Owings is away from the team.

Mateo isn't starting Thursday against the Mariners, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Mateo started in the last five games and went 6-for-19 with a triple, two doubles, a stolen base and five strikeouts. Chris Owings will take over at shortstop and bat ninth.

Smith (knee) went 0-for-2 with a walk in a loss to the Astros on Wednesday.

The rookie had missed Tuesday's matchup with a knee bruise, but he was able to start and play a full game at third base Wednesday. Smith is still mostly scuffling against big-league arms, as his season line stands at an unsightly .200/.227/.336 following Wednesday's contest.

Seager is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Rays.

Seager will get his first day off since April 17, going 7-for-22 with three homers, four RBI, five runs and a stolen base over his last five games. Marcus Semien will slide over to shortstop while Charlie Culberson will enter the lineup at second base and bat ninth.

Baez remains out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins,

According to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, Baez is on the bench for a second straight game not due to an injury, but as part of a "planned mental break." The consecutive days off come after Baez closed May with a .129/.182/.161 slash line over the final eight games of the month. He's sitting on a career-worst .542 OPS through his first 40 games with Detroit this season, perhaps giving the Tigers some buyer's remorse after signing him to a massive six-year, $140 million deal this winter.

Smith (wrist) replaced Andy Ibanez at third base to start the ninth inning of Wednesday's 4-3 extra-innings loss to the Rays. He went 0-for-1 with a walk.

Smith was held out of the starting lineup with a potential wrist injury, but he entered as a defensive substitution. There appears to be more to the substitution than getting a better fielder in the game. The game was tied at the time, so there was every expectation that Smith would make a plate appearance -- he was due up in the bottom of the ninth -- so it appears that if there was a wrist injury, it's an insignificant one.

Crawford went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Orioles.

Crawford took Kyle Bradish yard in the fourth inning to record his fifth homer of the season. It was his first long ball since May 1, and he recorded only three total extra-base hits across 86 at-bats in that span. However, Crawford has maintained a 15.3 percent strikeout rate across 196 plate appearances on the season, which has helped him maintain a .298/.388/.452 line.