MLB Player News

Cubs shortstop Javier Baez went 2-for-4 with a double in Tuesday's 2-1 victory over the Pirates. Baez seems to be hitting his stride more and more with each game, with the 22-year-old star prospect now having hit safely five of his last seven contests, including three consecutive multi-hit performances in that span.

While he certainly displayed some power by hitting nine homers in his 2014 stint with the major league club, Baez still scuffled his way to a .169 average and 95 strikeouts over 213 at-bats.

A spectacular 2015 campaign in Triple-A Iowa that saw him hit .324 prior to his Sept. 1 call-up appears to have done wonders for Baez's overall game, although he has yet to truly thrive in the power department. The Cubs figure to give Baez as much seasoning as possible for the remainder of the season in the hopes of preparing him for a starting role on the 2016 squad.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (calf) remains out of the lineup Tuesday against the Reds.

He will miss a sixth straight start due to a lingering calf issue, though the matchup against lefty John Lamb may have played a part in the decision to hold Crawford out yet again. Crawford hit off a tee Sunday but his status for the rest of the week is uncertain. Ehire Adrianza starts again at shortstop for San Francisco.

Crawford (calf) could play Wednesday, but Friday is a more likely return date, the San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea reports.

It sounds like owners could get roughly two weeks from Crawford before the end of the season, although the Giants will likely be very cautious with him upon his return.

Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon went 2-for-4 with a run scored and stole his 51st base during Monday's loss to the Mets.

Gordon continues to enjoy a terrific season at the dish, slashing .327/.353/.405 while stealing 51 bases in 67 attempts. He's still 13 bags off his career high of 64 steals set last season and while he may fall short of that total, Gordon is poised to post the best OBP and SLG of his career. Some of the improvement is surely due to a career high .345 BABIP, but he's also cut his strikeout rate to 11.6% after posting rates north of 18.8% in each of the past two seasons.

Dodgers rookie shortstop Corey Seager is destined for the bench once the injured Jimmy Rollins returns. But he is certainly trying to give manager Don Mattingly a second thought on that plan.

Seager slammed four hits in a Saturday defeat of Arizona. He singled in a run in the first, singled in another in the second, blasted a solo homer in the fifth and doubled and scored in the ninth. He also walked in reaching base in all five plate appearances.

He now owns a six-game hitting streak in which he is batting .500 (10 for 20).

Don Mattingly has announced that Dodgers promising rookie shortstop Corey Seager will be benched when veteran Jimmy Rollins returns from a hand injury.

"When Jimmy gets back, we plan on playing Jimmy," Mattingly told the Los Angeles Times.

Seager made his fifth straight start at that position Saturday. He arrived on a five-game hitting streak.

Guys batting .218 are not supposed to do what Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed did Friday night. But he has been coming on strong lately.

Ahmed slammed a homer, two doubles and a single in a rout of the Dodgers. His two-run clout capped a six-run second inning and gave his team a 10-0 lead.

He has eight hits in his last 18 at-bats with six RBI over his last four games.

Giants infielder Brandon Crawford underwent an MRI on Wednesday to gauge the seriousness of his calf and side injuries, reports the San Jose Mercury News.

Crawford suffered the injuries during Tuesday's contest and was held out Wednesday. Crawford is expected to return to the lineup in a day or two.

Tightness in his calf and left oblique caused Giants infielder Brandon Crawford to leave Tuesday's game prematurely, the team announced.

Crawford recently returned from the DL after battling a calf and oblique issue, but is expected to miss the next couple of games, reports CSN Bay Area. 

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford is ready to roll Friday in Colorado. He had been sidelined for four days with a back ailment.

Crawford returns in a slump. He has just two hits in his last 23 at-bats.

Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada has just 10 lifetime home runs. Nine have left the yard. The one that didn't helped his team beat Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

His inside-the-park sprint around the bases in the second inning gave New York a 3-0 lead and jump-started what turned out to be a rout.

Tejada also drove in runs with a single and groundout later in the game.