MLB Player News

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington relayed Sunday that Griffin is looking at a "more relaxed timeline" in his recovery from a flexor strain in his right elbow, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.

Cherington didn't offer an exact timeline for Griffin, but the former noted that the 20-year-old shortstop is looking at a longer stint on the 10-day injured list after more exams by team doctors. Griffin has yet to start throwing but has been taking groundballs, and the Pirates should have a better sense of Griffin's recovery timeline once he's cleared to play catch.

Betts is not in the Dodgers' starting lineup against the Angels on Sunday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Both Betts and Andy Pages will get an off day, with Miguel Rojas starting at shortstop and batting eighth in Sunday's series finale. Betts has gone 3-for-22 (.136) with one RBI and two runs scored since June 1.

Winn isn't starting for St. Louis on Sunday against Cincinnati.

Winn will get a breather after starting 14 straight games. He batted just .196 over that stretch, striking out 17 times over 60 plate appearances. Jose Fermin is drawing a start at shortstop in Winn's stead Sunday.

Hamilton went 4-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-1 win over the Rockies.

Hamilton popped the homer in the second inning before adding three more singles. This was his second multi-hit effort over six games in June, matching his total from all of May. The infielder is now batting .243 with a .667 OPS, three homers, 11 RBI, 28 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, three doubles and a triple over 178 plate appearances. Hamilton continues to handle a strong-side platoon role on the left side of the Brewers' infield.

De La Cruz (hamstring) had his scheduled MRI moved up three days to this coming Friday, June 12, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

De La Cruz is expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks due to a right hamstring strain that he sustained this past Sunday against Atlanta. The good news for the superstar shortstop is that he appears to be progressing ahead of his recovery schedule, so Friday's MRI should give the Reds a better sense of the next steps for De La Cruz's rehab program. In his absence, Matt McLain is expected to see more starts at shortstop, and Edwin Arroyo and Noelvi Marte are also slated to see more playing time.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters Saturday that Swanson is healthy but will "get a couple of days off," Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Swanson is not in the Cubs' lineup for Saturday's game against the Giants, and it sounds like he may be on the bench for Sunday's series finale as well. The veteran shortstop has struggled at the plate this season, and over his last 10 games he's gone 5-for-33 (.152) with one RBI, two steals and 12 strikeouts. Nico Hoerner will start at shortstop Saturday, and Swanson's absence means more playing time is available for Pedro Ramirez.

Swanson isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Giants.

Swanson will get a day off Saturday after going 0-for-4 during Friday's loss. Nico Hoerner will move over to shortstop to cover for him, giving Pedro Ramirez a start at second base.

Dubon went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double, an additional RBI and an additional run scored in Friday's win over the Pirates.

Dubon has been swinging a hot bat of late and has gone yard in three games in a row, with two multi-hit performances, seven RBI and four runs scored over that stretch. The eight-year veteran is trending in the right direction after hitting just .222 with a .600 OPS across 26 games in May.

Lawlar (wrist) moved his rehab to Triple-A Reno on Thursday and played consecutive games for the Aces. He went a combined 3-for-7 with two doubles, a triple and an RBI.

Lawlar played a full nine innings in center field Thursday and eight innings in left field a day later. He's had a combined 21 plate appearances between the ACL and Triple-A, but the Diamondbacks haven't made public a prescribed number of plate appearances for Lawlar, who has been out since early April. That he played the field on consecutive days is a positive sign that Lawlar could return within a week.

Abrams went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two walks and two total runs scored in Friday's 14-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

Abrams had gone six games without an RBI prior to Friday, though he hit safely in four of them. The shortstop has gone 11-for-36 (.306) with four extra-base hits and two stolen bases over his last 10 contests. For the season, he's batting .291 with a .922 OPS, 13 homers, 48 RBI, 40 runs scored, nine steals, 13 doubles and two triples over 63 games.