MLB Player News

Mets manager Terry Collins said he gave no thought to benching shortstop Ruben Tejada, who has committed six errors through 13 games. Tejada made a 14th-straight start Thursday at Colorado.

"He's got to play," Collins said to ESPN. "I wish we could always say we could have perfect conditions, but he's going to play."

With catcher Buster Posey out of the lineup Thursday at Milwaukee, Giants manager Bruce Bochy moved shortstop Brandon Crawford from eighth to fifth in the batting order. Crawford carried a 10-game hitting streak into Thursday.

He's batting .394 (13 for 33) with two doubles, two home runs, five walks, six RBI and nine runs during his hitting streak. Bochy hinted Thursday he might continue to hit Crawford higher in the lineup.

"He shortens up really well now," Bochy said, per CSN Bay Area. "He’s shorter to the ball, his swing is more compact and he’s using the whole field."

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford extended his hitting streak to 10 games on Wednesday against the Brewers. He went 2 for 4 with a run scored in a 4-3 loss.

Crawford is batting .394 (13 for 33) during his streak with two homers and six RBI.

With Aaron Hill going on the disabled list and Didi Gregorius being activated on Tuesday, Cliff Pennington will see some playing time at second base for the Diamondbacks going forward, MLB.com reports.

Pennington will slide over to second when Gregorius starts at shortstop. He played second down the stretch for the A's last season.

The 28-year-old is batting .267 (12 for 45) through 12 games with three RBI.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly told the Los Angeles Times Tuesday that the club has not considered recalling Dee Gordon. Mattingly added that he has been satisfied with Justin Sellers at shortstop with Hanley Ramirez sidelined.

Gordon is batting .319 (15 for 47) through 11 games at Triple-A Albuquerque with seven RBI and eight stolen bases.

First-year Diamondbacks shortstop Cliff Pennington might not be making a big impression offensively, the team is pleased with his contributions, especially on the defensive end.

"He's been outstanding," Diamondbacks bench coach Alan Trammell said, per MLB.com. "He's come over and done everything we were hoping for, we've been impressed. He's one of the reasons why we're at where we are. It's so far so good with him, he's brought what we needed and solidified the position."

Pennington, who has two errors through 12 games, ranks fourth among all qualifying shortstops in zone rating, which the percentage of balls fielded by a player in his typical defensive zone, as measured by STATS, Inc. He's also sixth in range factor, which is an advanced fielding percentage stat that takes into account the player's individual ability to get to each batted ball.

"He's able to do it all," Trammell said. "He often shows he has a real good God-given talent in certain plays, but that's a bonus for me. It's more about making the routine plays, and that's what I've seen out of him."

I'm not sure if I'm ready to buy into the Brandon Crawford hype just yet. Though, his start to the season is certainly intriguing.

Crawford has been on a nice run since spring training. He hit .375 with a .609 slugging percentage in 23 spring games. He's carried that over into the start of the regular season, batting .282 with a .378 on-base percentage and .814 OPS in 12 games. I've read many times where the Giants feel Crawford is just beginning to scratch the surface offensively, but I just can't find any empirical evidence to support those claims.

His slash line in the minors (.266/.331/.403/.734) was hardly impressive and Crawford had a pretty stellar spring in 2012 to only have a poor offensive season in the majors. 

With all that said, however, I don't want to completely write off Crawford because he's just entering the prime of his career and he might finally be hitting his stride in the majors. While I don't think he has a high ceiling, I do feel Crawford can be useful in larger Fantasy formats.

Diamondbacks shortstop Cliff Pennington has been struggling at the plate to open the season, and he let his frustration get the best of him Saturday against the Dodgers.

Pennington was ejected from the game in the bottom of the seventh inning after slamming his bat on home plate following a called third strike. He was 1 for 3 in the game with a run scored and a pair of strikeouts.

Pennington is batting just .238 with one extra-base hit in 42 at bats. He has struck out 10 times. 

Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada has spent the start of the season at the bottom of the team's batting order, and has managed to show solid on-base skills despite little lineup protection.

Playing in an American League park Saturday against the Twins, Tejada batted ninth for the second game in a row. He went 1 for 4 in the game, his eighth game in the first 11 having reached base at least once. Tejada smacked a double for the second game in a row, and came around to score once in a 4-2 win.

Tejada is batting just .256, but he is sporting a solid .356 on-base percentage thanks to five walks. He has struck out just five times as well, while scoring six runs and driving in three in 39 at bats. 

Diamondbacks shortstop Cliff Pennington has spent every inning of the team's first nine games at shortstop, including all of a 16-inning contest in the first week of the season. The Diamondbacks are short on options at the position with both Willie Bloomquist and Didi Gregorius on the disabled list.

Pennington may be in for a night off in the team's weekend series agianst the Dodgers. He has struggled against left-handers in his career, and the Diamondbacks are slated to face southpaws on Friday and Saturday. If he sits, utlility infielder Josh Wilson would likely draw the start at shortstop.