MLB Player News

Bogaerts was removed from Tuesday's game against the Rays in the second inning for an unknown reason, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports. He recorded an RBI single in his lone plate appearance before being replaced by Yairo Munoz.

Per Andersen Pickard of MLBDailyDish.com, the shortstop's departure did not appear to be due to an injury, so it's at least possible his exit is related to COVID-19 protocol. The Red Sox should provide an update later Tuesday. Jonathan Arauz shifted to shortstop with Munoz entering the game at second base.

Velazquez is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Angels.

Velazquez is 5-for-20 with three doubles, three runs and seven strikeouts in his past seven games, and he'll take a seat Tuesday for the second time in the past three contests. Gio Urshela will shift to shortstop while Rougned Odor starts at the hot corner.

Franco went 1-for-5 with a two-run single in a win over the Red Sox on Monday and now has 10 RBI over his last 13 games.

Franco is slashing an outstanding .377/.431/.566 during that span as well while striking out at a minuscule 3.4 percent clip. The 20-year-old phenom is progressively approaching the caliber of production he consistently managed against overmatched minor-league arms since the start of his pro career in 2018, and with just over a month still remaining in the regular season, he could be at his peak heading into the postseason.

Anderson (leg) is still dealing with soreness and is not starting Tuesday's game against the Pirates, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

The infielder misses yet another start with leg soreness. Manager Tony La Russa has repeatedly downplayed the significance of Anderson's absences, but continued omissions from the lineup will add to the concern that Anderson may be nursing a more serious injury than La Russa is letting on. Leury Garcia is playing shortstop and batting eighth Tuesday.

Triple-A Worcester placed Downs on its 7-day injured list Monday with thumb inflammation, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

The injury is viewed as a minor one and isn't expected to keep Downs on the shelf for much longer than the minimum amount of time, but it's a frustrating development nonetheless in what's been a disappointing campaign for the 23-year-old. Back in spring training, Downs appeared likely to receive his first big-league call-up at some point in 2021, but that's no longer in the forecast while he's struggled to the tune of a .179/.263/.314 slash line over 336 plate appearances at Worcester. In addition to striking the ball with little authority (28.6 percent hard-hit rate), Downs has seen his strikeout rate balloon to 32.4 percent at Triple-A, a huge jump from the 20 percent rate he posted between stops at High-A and Double-A in 2019.

Wendle went 3-for 4 with an RBI single, a solo home run, a grand slam and a walk in a win over the Orioles on Sunday.

Wendle nearly single-handedly dismantled the Orioles in a memorable day at the plate, and his seventh-inning grand slam gave the Rays some breathing room after Baltimore had closed to within two runs in the home half of the sixth. Wendle's pair of homers pushed him to a new career high of nine for the season, and he's now carrying a five-game hitting streak during which he owns a .500 average and seven total RBI.

Mateo went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run Sunday in the Orioles' 12-8 loss to the Rays.

Mateo was idle for a few days last week due to left hip and lower-back discomfort, but he returned with a bang for the final two games of the series with Tampa Bay, going 3-for-9 with a home run, three RBI and a stolen base between the contests. Since being claimed off waivers from San Diego on Aug. 5, Mateo has emerged as a cornerstone piece in the Baltimore infield. In 19 games with his new team, Mateo is slashing .353/.380/.515 with eight extra-base hits, four steals, five runs and five RBI.

Smith went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, a walk and a hit by pitch in Sunday's 2-1 win over Detroit.

The 25-year-old went yard in the fourth inning to give Toronto a 2-0 lead. Smith also committed an error in the sixth that ultimately allowed Detroit to get on the board, but starter Jose Berrios was able to limit the damage there. Smith has just three hits in 19 at-bats this season in his first taste of major-league action. He should see regular playing time at third base with Cavan Biggio (elbow) and Santiago Espinal (hip) both on the injured list.

Bichette went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 2-1 win over Detroit.

While August hasn't been kind to the shortstop, he's now hit safely in four straight games, his longest streak since a six-game stretch in late June and early July. Bichette has maintained a .286/.336/.457 slash line with 21 home runs, 80 RBI, 95 runs scored and 20 stolen bases through 551 plate appearances.

Velazquez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

Tyler Wade will get the nod at shortstop in the series finale, ending a streak of nine consecutive starts for Velazquez. Though Velazquez performed well during that stretch -- he hit .290 with five extra-base hits and three stolen bases -- and clearly appears to be ahead of Wade on the depth chart, both players are expected to see their playing time dwindle in the near future. Gleyber Torres (thumb) began a rehab assignment at Double-A Somerset on Sunday and is expected to return from the injured list next weekend, at which point Velazquez will shift into a utility role.