MLB Player News

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford isn't hitting for the same kind of power he did earlier in the season, but he has managed to stay productive recently by upping his batting average.

Crawford has just one extra-base hits in his last seven games, but he is hitting .346 in that span to raise his batting average from .270 to .282 for the season. Crawford also has six RBI in that span, with one stolen base, three walks and just two strikeouts.

Crawford has five home runs and 23 RBI for the season, though he has not homered since the start of May. 

The Mets would like shortstop Ruben Tejada to settle in at the leadoff role, but his struggles this season have forced them to improvise at the top of the order.

Tejada is hitting just .213 on the season, and has struggled to square up the ball consistently;  12 of his last 15 outs have been flyballs, according to MLB.com. With Tejada's lack of power, that is not what the team wants out of him.

"There's some things you've got to do to work to your strengths, and Ruben's is hitting line drives," manager Terry Collins said. "Fly balls, they're great once in a while, when you hit one in the gap, but he's got to start being that line-drive guy that we know."

Tejada hit .289 with a .333 on-base percentage last season, a number that is down to .278 this year. He has hit .213 both in and out of the top spot in the order.

"If he was giving us the at-bats that we saw last year, he is the leadoff hitter," Collins said. "The guy that even with two strikes just battles the pitcher."

According to team sources, the Mets have discussed demoting starting shortstop Ruben Tejada to Triple-A Las Vegas, reports the New York Daily News. The team considered optioning Tejada to the minors after a brutal spring training and the demotion debate has stirred again in recent days.

Tejada has struggled both offensively and defensively in 2013. He's batting .213 through 42 games and has made seven errors. He made all of 12 errors in 112 games last season.

If Tejada was demoted, then Omar Quintanilla would likely become the team's starting shortstop.

Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada ended his multi-hit slump at 10 games Sunday against the Cubs by going 2 for 4. He added one run.

Tejada came into the game mired in a 3-for-36 slump, which dropped his season average from .252 to .211. He's now hitting .219 after 41 games.

Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon was thrown out in the third inning Saturday against the Braves tying to steal third base with two outs and Matt Kemp at the plate. Not only did manager Don Mattingly and baserunning coach Davey Lopes chime in, but Gordon's father -- former All-Star closer Tom Gordon -- talked with Dee about his baserunning error, according to MLB.com.

"Don't steal third," Dee Gordon repeated, "unless you know you'll be safe. I felt it was 100 percent, but I got thrown out."

Mattingly was still annoyed Sunday morning.

"The first year he was here, you want to be patient with him and you're always teaching, but yesterday, we've been there before, and I told him when he got to the dugout that you can't run there unless you're 100 percent," Mattingly said. "There's no real upside to stealing the base. Only an infield hit or a passed ball. It doesn't make any sense to me. It's just a mistake you really can't make. I don't want to come down on Dee. He's trying. But it's just not the right time to steal a base. It's a useless base."

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford enjoyed a solid night at the plate as he drove in three runs during Thursday's contest against the Rockies.

Crawford lined a bases-clearing double that sparked a five-run sixth inning for the Giants. He finished 2 for 4 with two runs scored and three RBI in an 8-6 victory. It was his fifth multi-hit game in his last nine games.

Crawford is hitting .277 with five homers and 20 RBI in his last 141 at-bats.

Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada was back in the lineup Wednesday after receiving a day off, but manager Terry Collins told him during batting practice that Collins wants him to stop hitting fly balls, ESPN reports.

"You’ve got to get out of that. Fly balls aren’t going to help you," Collins told Tejada.

Tejada has hit .227/.301/.295 with no home runs in 148 plate appearances this season. He has a 33 percent fly ball rate heading into Wednesday's game, according to Fangraphs.

With Didi Gregorius' emergence, Diamondbacks veteran shortstop Cliff Pennington has seen his playing time dwindle. In fact, he's been sharing time at second base with Josh Wilson and Martin Prado, and he's made just three starts since May 5.

He could see even less playing time when Aaron Hill (hand) comes off the disabled list. Pennington is batting just .212 through 34 games and isn't exactly forcing his way into the lineup.

"When you get a chance to play you got to play," Pennington said, per The Arizona Republic. "I got off to a slow start and had a rough stretch for a few at-bats, but I’ve been swinging it good in May and I feel good, so I just got to keep that going."

Cardinals prospect Ryan Jackson added three more hits on Tuesday to raise his average to .372 through 31 games for Triple-A Memphis. He also has 11 RBI and a .487 slugging percentage.

The 25-year-old would be one of the first infielders called up to the majors if a spot opened up, MLB.com reports.

"He really took a great attitude with him when he was sent down," manager Mike Matheny said of Jackson, who has played second, third and short for Memphis this year. "He realizes he's right there. Where Pete Kozma was a year ago, he's even ahead of that in the fact that he's taking real advantage of the opportunity he has there. He's done a real good job."

Mets manager Terry Collins gave shortstop Ruben Tejada a day of rest Tuesday night against the Cardinals.

Tejada has been struggling, hitting just .190 in the first 10 games of May. He has gone hitless in his last nine at-bats. Justin Turner took his place in the lineup against left-hander John Gast.

"He's one of the other guys that's really been struggling lately," Collins said. "And I want to get J.T. in there. We've got one guy hitting .350. We've got to try to find him some at-bats.

"Hopefully [Daniel] Murphy is breaking out. I wanted to play Ike (Davis). There's only one other spot to go for right now, and that was at shortstop."