MLB Player News

Bichette went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and a stolen base in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Yankees.

Bichette immediately staked Toronto to a lead with his leadoff homer in the first inning. He added a go-ahead RBI single and a stolen base in the seventh. The shortstop had gone 0-for-13 across the first three games of the series in New York, but he broke out of the mini-slump in a big way Thursday. He's hitting .289/.339/.458 with 22 homers, 84 RBI, 104 runs scored and 22 steals through 595 plate appearances for the year.

Anderson (hamstring) took grounders ahead of Thursday's game against the Athletics, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Anderson participated in batting practice Wednesday, and his on-field work continued ahead of Thursday's series finale in Oakland. Manager Tony La Russa said Tuesday that the shortstop remains without a timetable to return to game action, but his recent participation in baseball activities has been encouraging.

Crawford went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's 8-5 win over Houston.

The shortstop extended Seattle's lead to 8-4 with his ninth-inning blast. Crawford's homer gave Seattle a little more breathing room when Alex Bregman homered in the bottom of the ninth. In his last 16 games, Crawford has gone 19-for-71 (.267), hitting safely in 13 of those contests. He's slashing .267/.332/.364 with seven homers, 44 RBI, 75 runs scored and three stolen bases through 585 plate appearances.

Anderson (hamstring) took batting practice Wednesday and has been doing some straight-line running, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Anderson remains without a timeline for his return, but it's nonetheless encouraging that he's taking part in at least some baseball activities. The 28-year-old will need to ramp up his activity level before a potential return date comes into focus.

Velazquez went 2-for-3 with a run and a stolen base in Tuesday's loss to Toronto.

Velazquez entered Tuesday's contest having gone 1-for-11 over his previous six games while seeing a significant decline in playing time due to the return of Gleyber Torres. The 27-year-old managed his first multi-hit performance since Aug. 19 and his first theft since Aug. 24. Velazquez is slashing .242/.254/.387 with a home run, six RBI and four steals on the season.

Downs (thumb) has gone 2-for-8 with two stolen bases in his first two games for Triple-A Worcester since being activated from the 7-day injured list Sunday.

Downs spent the minimum amount of time on the shelf with an inflamed thumb. He's been able to showcase his speed since returning to action, but the impact of his running has been somewhat offset by five strikeouts in those two games. The increased amount of swing and miss in Downs' approach at the plate is part of a distributing trend that has persisted throughout the 2021 campaign. He's struck out at a 33.1 percent clip this season, a major reason why he's sitting on a lowly .181 average over 344 plate appearances with Worcester.

Smith isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Yankees.

Smith's playing time has dried up recently, and he'll head to the bench for the fourth time in the last five games. Jake Lamb will start at the hot corner and bat eighth.

Mateo went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 7-3 win over Kansas City.

The speedy infielder has been a solid addition to Baltimore's lineup since he was claimed off waivers in early August. Mateo has gone just 5-for-8 in stolen base attempts with his new team, but he's also posted a .292/.343/.448 slash line with a pair of home runs, eight RBI, eight runs scored, a triple and seven doubles. He's gotten on base in seven straight games and should continue to see a regular role in the middle infield.

Manager Tony La Russa said Tuesday that Anderson (hamstring) still doesn't have a timetable to return, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Anderson has been on the 10-day IL since Aug. 29 due to a left hamstring strain, but he still hasn't returned to full health. A better timetable for the 28-year-old's return should come into focus once he's able to ramp up his activity level. Leury Garcia and Danny Mendick will continue to handle the duties at shortstop while Anderson is sidelined.

Smith isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Yankees.

Smith has gone hitless with a run, a walk and four strikeouts in his last 11 at-bats, and he'll be out of the lineup for the fourth time in the last six games. Jake Lamb will start at the hot corner and bat eighth.