MLB Player News

Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts went 4 for 4 with two runs scored in his team's 6-1 win over the Angels on Sunday.

Starting in the No. 5 spot for the third straight game, Bogaerts delivered one of his best hitting performances of the season, picking up a double and three singles in the win. He's put together a seven game hitting streak and now owns a .290/.340/.407 line with two home runs and 15 RBI in 145 at-bats.

Angels left fielder Collin Cowgill was a late scratch from Sunday's lineup. He was replaced by Matt Joyce. 

Cowgill has been bothered by a sore back and was unable to complete pregame batting practice, per MLB.com.

Also, with a lefthander facing the Angels, second baseman Johnny Giavotella is out of the lineup for just the fourth time this season.

"He's been in the air a lot the last part of this little dry spell," manager Mike Scioscia said to the Orange County Register. "His game is really line drives, hard groundballs, working counts. I don't think there's pressing. I haven't seen his demeanor change or his game change. We're looking to get our offense deeper, and he’s an important guy to lengthen our lineup."

He's replaced by Taylor Featherston.

Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts had the goods and bads in Thursday's loss to the Rangers. Bogaerts reached base safely in all three plate appearances, going 2 for 2 with a walk. He has a hit four straight games and has reached base in eight of his last nine. Since May 10, he has seen his season average rise more than 20 points from .250 to its current .271 clip.

But, Bogaerts did commit his third error of the season, and also ran into some back luck on the basepaths, literally. 

With teammate Daniel Nava at the plate in the bottom of the fifth, Bogaerts was on first base with one out. He took off trying to steal second, but Nava swung and tapped the ball to the right side, which clipped Bogaerts on the foot as he was running. Bogaerts was ruled out, and a strikeout by the next batter ended the rally for Boston.

"Probably the play there when I tried to steal and the ball hit me, that was probably the game-changer," said Bogaerts, per MLB.com. "I never knew, I was never aware the ball touched me until I came back down and I saw the video, it might've just scratched the bottom of my heel or something like that, but I never know it hit me at all."

Angels second baseman Johnny Giavotella is out of the starting lineup for the first time since April 25. Giavotella had started each of the last 21 games for manager Mike Scioscia, hitting a .247 clip with three doubles and eight RBI over that stretch.

Scioscia decided to give him a day off, however, and will give Taylor Featherston the start at the keystone position. Featherstone was also in the lineup at third base on Tuesday, and has just one hit in 16 at-bats this season. 

Strikeout machine Zach Walters has been optioned by the Indians to Triple-A Columbus to make room on the roster for Wednesday night starter Shaun Marcum, the Northeast Ohio Media Group is reporting.

Walters has struggled to make consistent contact. He has 56 strikeouts in 144 at-bats over the last two seasons and has fanned eight times in 17 at-bats in 2015.

Angels left fielder Matt Joyce is back in the lineup for Tuesday's matchup with the Blue Jays, while third baseman David Freese is serving as the designated hitter for the third time this season.

Joyce was a late scratch on Monday but is ready to roll one day later. He said he was scratched because he thought the team was playing a night game on Monday rather than during the day, the Los Angeles Times reports. Joyce has hit just .143/.180/.219 in 105 at-bats.

Freese is getting a break from starting at third base for the third time this season. He'll be replaced at third base by Taylor Featherston, who is making his third start at the position.

The Angels are underdogs (+112) in Toronto on Tuesday, per VegasInsider.com.

Indians outfielder Michael Bourn is out of the starting lineup on Monday against the White Sox, the team announced.

Bourn has started eight of the last 10 and 30 of 36 games for Cleveland this year, but will get a day off for Zach Walters. Bourn is hitting .233 with nine RBI in 116 at-bats this season.

Red Sox manager John Farrell has been asking his players, speficially Xander Bogaerts, Blake Swihart and Sandy Leon, to drop down more bunts this season, according to MLB.com.

"We've placed a greater emphasis on it in spring training," said Farrell. "Maybe guys that haven't done it in their Minor League career, guys that dominate the Minor Leagues [but are] going to come up and hit in the bottom third of our order ... you want to allow them to grow as Major League players, but to contribute to a rally by putting down a sacrifice bunt, there's a lot of benefit that goes to the individual."

Boston has already dropped down 10 sacrifices this season in 36 games after only getting 20 down last season. 

"You go back to the game situation," said Farrell. "Did we anticipate an offense that would be more consistent than what we've shown? Yes, and we'll realize that in time. But where we are and what the game is suggesting and presenting to us, we've got to be equipped to handle that, and we've asked guys in those spots to lay a bunt down."

Red Sox outfielders Mookie Betts and Shane Victorino are out of the lineup for Saturday’s game in Seattle, getting replaced by Jackie Bradley Jr. in center field and Brock Holt in right.

Holt will bat leadoff while Bradley will hit ninth.

Betts has led off 33 of the Red Sox’s 36 games coming into Saturday.

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts will move up and hit sixth on Saturday, the highest he’s hit in the order all season.

Indians manager Terry Francona said he's giving Zach Walters the start at third base Friday in Texas to try to "...get him going," reports the Northeast Ohio Media Group.

In four games this season, Walters is 0 for 8 with six strikeouts.

Walters, in his third MLB season, is a career .182 hitter (26 for 143).