MLB Player News

Berti went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Rangers.

The light-hitting utility man jumped on a Jordan Montgomery changeup in the second inning and lined it over the left-field wall for his third homer of the season. Berti's worked his way back into a consistent spot in the batting order since the All-Star break, slashing .392/.407/.569 in 17 games with three steals, six RBI and 10 runs, but as of yet he hasn't really exploited MLB's new rules to make basestealing easier. After leading the league with 41 stolen bases in 2022, the 33-year-old has only 12 in 16 attempts this season.

Rojas isn't in the Dodgers' lineup Friday against the Padres, Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA reports.

After going 3-for-8 with a homer and three RBI across his last two games, Rojas will take a seat for Friday's series opener with San Diego. Amed Rosario will start at shortstop and bat eighth.

Lindor went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's loss to the Royals.

He spoiled a combined shutout bid for the Kansas City staff by taking Jonathan Heasley deep in the ninth inning. It's Lindor's third homer in the last five games, and over his last 11 contests he's batting .310 (13-for-42). The 29-year-old's hot streak comes too late to save the Mets' season, but maybe not his own -- Lindor's slashing .235/.323/.464 through 465 plate appearances with 22 homers, 17 steals, 67 runs and 67 RBI.

McLain went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Cubs.

McLain swiped his ninth base of the season in the third inning but was stranded there, as the Reds went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. The infielder has a combined 19 steals between Triple-A Louisville and the majors in 2023. He also struck out twice Thursday, raising his count to 15 over the last 34 plate appearances (44.1 percent K rate).

Crawford is out of the lineup Thursday versus the Diamondbacks.

Casey Schmitt is playing shortstop and batting ninth as Isan Diaz covers second base and hits eighth. Crawford has enjoyed a productive week so far, but he's slashing just .215/.286/.355 through 239 total plate appearances this year at age 36.

Washington recalled Downs from Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Downs could get regular playing time on the Nationals' infield following Wednesday's demotion of Luis Garcia, but the 25-year-old former top prospect doesn't offer much immediate fantasy appeal given how poorly he's performed this summer in the minors. In his 45 games (166 plate appearances) between the rookie-level Florida Complex League, High-A Wilmington and Triple-A Rochester this season, Downs was slashing just .165/.319/.308 with three home runs and eight stolen bases. Per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post, Michael Chavis and Ildemaro Vargas will also be in the mix for starts at the keystone.

Turner is hitting eighth Thursday against the Marlins.

He hit seventh in the lineup July 29, and had hit sixth in the lineup the past three games, but this represents a new low for Turner. The big-ticket free agent signee is slashing .238/.303/.369 with five home runs and 14 steals in 52 games since June 1.

Rojas went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 10-1 win over the Athletics.

Rojas ended his season-long homer drought with a third-inning solo shot. He also snapped an 0-for-8 skid from his last three games. For now, the Dodgers' trade additions of Amed Rosario and Enrique Hernandez are not costing Rojas playing time at shortstop, but his spot can't be considered safe when his bat is cold. He's slashing just .217/.272/.273 with a homer, 13 RBI, 30 runs scored and seven stolen bases through 79 contests this season.

Perdomo went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Giants.

Perdomo did his part in the first inning, but that was the extent of his hitting contributions for the game. The shortstop is hitting .286 (16-for-56) since the All-Star break, though just four of those hits have gone for extra bases. He's at a solid .274/.380/.406 slash line with 13 steals, five home runs, 37 RBI and 48 runs scored over 91 contests this season. Perdomo continues to bat leadoff against right-handers while often sitting out versus southpaws in favor of Nick Ahmed.

Swanson went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 16-6 win over the Reds.

Swanson also struck out three times, but that can be overlooked because he's now gone deep in three straight games, including hitting two long balls Tuesday. The shortstop got off to a relatively slow start in the power department with the Cubs, but he now has 16 home runs on the season and could match or exceed the 25 long balls he tallied a year ago with Atlanta.