MLB Player News

Franco (hamstring) went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI in Monday's win over the Athletics.

Franco returned to the lineup as expected from a one-game absence caused by a tight hamstring. He didn't appear to be bothered by the issue, as he singled in a run in the second inning before coming around to score. Franco has been a late scratch twice this season due to hamstring tightness, so that may be a situation to monitor moving forward. However, there are no concerns about his performance when on the field, as he's hitting .322/.341/.575 with 15 runs scored and 14 RBI across 91 plate appearances to begin the campaign.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mariners.

With Jose Altuve (hamstring) returning from the 10-day injured list Monday and reclaiming his spot as the Astros' everyday second baseman, Diaz's playing time is likely to take a substantial hit. He had been filling in at the position for the past two weeks along with Niko Goodrum, with Diaz starting in eight of the 12 games that Altuve missed. Diaz's versatility gives him some other avenues to at-bats, but with all of the Astros' key position players at full strength, the 31-year-old will only pick up starts when one of the regulars requires a breather.

Smith isn't starting Monday against the Rays.

Smith started in the last two games and went 3-for-7 with a double, an RBI, a steal and a strikeout. Sheldon Neuse will shift to third base while Jed Lowrie serves as the designated hitter Monday.

Franco (hamstring) is starting Monday's game against the Athletics, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Manager Kevin Cash was hopeful that Franco would be able to return to the lineup Monday, and he'll officially start at shortstop and bat second following his one-game absence due to hamstring tightness. Over the five games prior to his brief absence, the 21-year-old went 4-for-20 with a homer, a double, three RBI, two runs and two steals.

Crawford went 2-for-3 with a double, a solo home run, a walk and two runs in a win over the Marlins on Sunday.

The veteran shortstop continued to knock the cover off the ball Sunday, lacing his 10th and 11th extra-base hits of the season, including his fourth home run. At his current long-ball pace, Crawford will blow past the career-high nine round trippers he launched in 2021 across 687 plate appearances, as he's currently leaving the park on an average of once every 23 plate PAs.

Fletcher is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old is one of four Angels regulars who will take a seat as the team wraps up its four-game set in Chicago with an afternoon contest. After returning from the 10-day injured list Friday, Fletcher started in the middle infield in each of the first three games of the series and went a collective 3-for-9 with a pair of doubles and two walks.

Manager Kevin Cash said he is "confident" that Franco (hamstring) will be in the lineup Monday against Oakland, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Franco was scratched from the lineup ahead of Sunday's loss to the Twins with hamstring tightness, the second time the injury has popped up for him early in the season. However, Cash said after the game that Franco was in line for a day off in the near future and that the move was largely made out of precaution. Interestingly, Cash specifically noted that the Rays had been on a long homestand and that the turf field at Tropicana Field had been more grueling on Franco's body than a typical grass surface. While the Rays will begin a nine-game stint on the road Monday, they start that trip on a grass field in Oakland.

Witt (wrist) is back in the lineup Monday, starting at third base and batting seventh against the Cardinals.

After missing Sunday's loss to the Yankees with wrist soreness, the rookie will be ready to go for Monday's contest. Over the first 10 games of the season, Witt had only five hits, but he's now rattled off a nine-game hitting streak. The hot stretch has raised his batting average from .128 to .216, but the 21-year-old is still searching for his first MLB homer.

Mateo went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run during Sunday's 9-5 win against Boston.

The 26-year-old came up with the bases loaded and no outs during the sixth inning and delivered with a two-run double, and he came around to score two batters later. The double was Mateo's fifth extra-base hit of the season and only his second multi-hit game. He doesn't provide much pop with a .246/.297/.318 slash line and zero homers through 21 contests, though his baserunning brings some value as he ranks second in MLB with seven stolen bases while being caught only once.

Bichette went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer and a strikeout in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Astros.

Bichette went without an extra-base hit in his last five games, but he went yard for the third time this year during Sunday's low-scoring win. After hitting .301 over his first three major-league seasons, the 24-year-old has hit just .213 with three homers, 10 runs, 10 RBI and three steals over the first 23 games in 2022.