MLB Player News

Crawford went 1-for-3 with a double, two walks and two runs in a loss to the Astros on Monday.

The hot-hitting shortstop pushed his early-season on-base percentage to .529 with Monday's effort, which saw Crawford reach safely for the third consecutive contest. Just as encouraging is the fact the 25-year-old has struck out just once in his first 17 plate appearances after averaging a whiff every 4.8 PAs in 2019. The usual caveats regarding the small four-game sample naturally apply, but Crawford's hot start is certainly a welcome sight under any circumstance after his unsightly .226/.313/.371 line in a career-high 93 games last season.

Adames went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, a stolen base and a run in a win over the Braves on Monday.

Several of his teammates popped much bigger hits, but Adames' performance was nevertheless encouraging. The shortstop is rewarding the Rays and his fantasy managers early, hitting safely in three of his first four games with a pair of doubles, two RBI, three walks, Monday's steal and two runs overall.

Bogaerts jammed his back, neck and hips on a defensive play in the first inning Monday, but stayed in the game and went on to homer and plans to play in Tuesday's game against the Mets, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

He made a great play in the field but landed awkwardly and was a bit shaken up. However, he stayed in the game and went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run. Bogaerts should not be considered injured, but he might not be feeling 100 percent after Monday's game.

Wendle went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Monday's 14-5 rout of Atlanta.

Getting the start at third base, Wendle took Mike Foltynewicz deep in the fourth inning for his first homer of the season. After a disappointing, injury-plagued 2019, the 30-year-old is looking to re-establish himself as a key piece in the Rays' infield.

Bichette (hamstring) will "probably" miss a couple of days, according to manager Charlie Montoyo, although the team will see how he feels Tuesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

He tweaked his hamstring taking groundballs Monday. Montoyo called it a "day-to-day deal" before suggesting his shortstop may miss a couple days. He then said "you never know with hamstrings," which is a wise sentiment from the skipper. Joe Panik and Brandon Drury are options to fill in while Bichette is out.

Bichette is considered day-to-day with left hamstring tightness, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

The injury explains why Bichette was a last-minute scratch ahead of Monday's game against the Nationals. It doesn't sound as though he'll miss too much time. Joe Panik will slide over to shortstop in his absence, with Brandon Drury entering the lineup at third base.

Bichette was scratched from Monday's lineup against the Nationals for an undisclosed reason, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Bichette was slated to lead off and play shortstop Monday, but he was scratched minutes before first pitch. No reason was given for his removal from the lineup.

Gordon will start in left field and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Astros, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Though the Mariners have faced right-handed starting pitchers in their four games with Houston to open the season, the lefty-hitting Gordon will be making only his second start after going 1-for-4 in Saturday's 7-2 loss. The lack of early full-time usage against righties signals that manager Scott Servais views Gordon as more of a bench piece these days than the lineup mainstay he had been for much of his previous two seasons in Seattle.

Bichette went 2-for-6 with two RBI in Sunday's extra-inning loss to the Rays.

He also struck out twice, but otherwise Bichette appears to be rounding into form at the plate. The 22-year-old has gone 4-for-16 through three games, but he's still looking for his first extra-base hit after setting big-league records for his prowess at smacking doubles as a rookie in 2019.

Fletcher went 4-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 6-4 loss to the Athletics.

All four of Fletcher's hits were singles. His run came on a Mike Trout homer in the third inning. Fletcher also picked up his first steal of the year in the fifth. The 26-year-old has gone 6-for-11 with a walk in three games so far. He's not likely to produce much in the power or speed departments -- Fletcher had just six homers and eight stolen bases across 154 games in 2019 -- but hitting in front of Trout on a consistent basis will elevate his run total.