MLB Player News

Betts went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer and a stolen base in Saturday's loss to the Rockies.

Betts clubbed a two-out, two-run homer in his second at-bat to bring the Dodgers back within one run of Colorado and later added a leadoff single in the fifth, though he was left stranded after stealing second. It marked the All-Star's fourth long ball this month and his 18th on the campaign, while the steal was the second in his last three games. Betts is now slashing .274/.313/.534 in September with nine extra-base hits, 17 RBI, 12 runs and three stolen bases.

Acuna went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and a solo home run in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Phillies.

The 22-year-old has been on fire since getting promoted last weekend, batting .385 (10-for-26) in his first eight big-league games with six extra-base hits, including three homers. Acuna's power display is especially impressive considering he hit only seven home runs in 131 games at Triple-A this season. Francisco Lindor (back) should return to the lineup any day now and reclaim the starting job at shortstop, but with a playoff spot on the line, the Mets could keep Acuna's red-hot bat in the lineup at another position.

De La Cruz went 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBI and an additional run scored in Saturday's 7-1 win over the Pirates.

De La Cruz reached yet another milestone Saturday, becoming the youngest player in MLB history with 25 homers and 60 stolen bases in a season. He also joins Ronald Acuna and Joe Morgan as the only players with 35 doubles, 25 homers and 60 stolen bases in a season. De La Cruz tied his season high in RBI with four, with both instances coming over his last eight games.

The Giants optioned Luciano to Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday.

Luciano will yield his spot on the active roster to Matt Chapman, who was activated from the paternity list Saturday. Luciano went 3-for-31 with a 42.4 percent strikeout rate during his 10-game stint with the Giants.

Lindor (back) will go through a full series of baseball activities Saturday, but he is not expected to play until Tuesday's series opener in Atlanta at the earliest, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Lindor will wind up missing at least seven consecutive starts due to back pain. With a team off day coming Monday, the Mets will give the star shortstop some additional rest. While a Tuesday return isn't guaranteed, the fact that Lindor was cleared to resume full baseball activities this weekend is an encouraging development. In the meantime, Luisangel Acuna should continue to start at shortstop in Lindor's stead through Sunday.

Lindor (back) isn't in the Mets' lineup Saturday versus the Phillies.

Lindor will be missing his sixth straight start Saturday as a result of the back injury he suffered last week. He went through a full workout ahead of Friday's contest, but the 30-year-old seemingly still has a few boxes to check off before returning to the starting nine. Luisangel Acuna will pick up a start at shortstop and bat ninth while Lindor sits.

Edwards isn't part of the starting lineup for Saturday's game against Atlanta.

After making seven straight starts, Edwards will get the day off Saturday against Max Fried and Atlanta. Javier Sanoja will slot in at shortstop and bat sixth.

The Nationals optioned Abrams to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic reports.

Since the All-Star break, Abrams has slashed just .203/.260/.326 with five home runs and 17 RBI -- a stark contrast from the .832 OPS he logged during the first half of the year. However, manager Dave Martinez said Saturday that Abrams' demotion is not related to his performance. Instead, the decision to send him down to the minors comes amid reports that he stayed out past curfew at a casino in Chicago prior to Friday's early-afternoon game against the Cubs, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com. With Rochester's season wrapping up, the 23-year-old will instead report to the Nationals' complex in Florida for the final week of the season. Meanwhile, Nasim Nunez will likely be first in line to take over as Washington's primary shortstop.

Rojas (leg) started at shortstop for the Dodgers on Friday and went 0-for-4 in a 6-4 victory versus the Rockies.

Rojas was out of the lineup Wednesday and Thursday while tending to a sore left leg, but he was able to return Friday. There was never much concern about the shortstop's leg issue, as Rojas said Wednesday that he just needed time off in order to avoid risking a worsening of the condition ahead of the postseason. Tommy Edman filled in at shortstop for the two games Rojas missed and will likely resume working mostly in center field with the latter's return.

Kim (shoulder) made "light" throws across the diamond Friday, per MLB.com.

Kim's right shoulder injury has kept him out of action for over a month, and a lack of progress resulted in the Padres temporarily shutting him down from throwing in mid-September. The shortstop was able to play catch and toss balls across the diamond from his position Friday, though not at full velocity. Kim has also been hitting at full capacity, but it remains unclear if he'll be able to return to the Padres' lineup before the end of the regular season.