MLB Player News

Abrams went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's win over the Dodgers.

The 22-year-old continues to struggle with his consistency. Abrams hasn't had a multi-hit performance since May 15, batting .174 (8-for-46) over his last 13 games with a 2:13 BB:K, and on the season he's slashing .236/.288/.404 with six homers and six steals in 52 contests. He remains a key part of the Nationals' rebuild, but his sketchy plate discipline is still holding him back.

Tovar went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Diamondbacks.

The homer was Tovar's first since May 16, though it was his fifth extra-base hit in his last five games. After a slow start to the season, the rookie shortstop had a solid May, batting .266 with a .767 OPS over 27 games. Tovar is now slashing .241/.286/.396 with four home runs, 26 runs scored, 23 RBI and two stolen bases through 199 plate appearances.

Tovar is hitting second Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.

Tovar has mostly batted at or near the bottom of the Rockies' lineup this season, but he'll get a boost to the No. 2 spot amid the most promising offensive stretch of his young career. The 21-year-old shortstop has slashed .368/.415/.526 over his last 41 plate appearances dating back to May 20.

Wendle is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.

With the Marlins facing a left-handed starting pitcher (Blake Snell) for the third straight game, the lefty-hitting Wendle will once again be on the bench. Jon Berti will fill in for Wendle at shortstop.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Cruz (fibula) is expected to transition out of his walking boot next week, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

When that happens, he'll be cleared for strength and range-of-motion exercises for his surgically-repaired left leg. Cruz is expected to be on the shelf until sometime in August.

Crawford is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Crawford will head to the bench after he started each of the Giants' last three games, going 4-for-8 with two doubles and two walks over that stretch. Even with the recent hot run at the plate, Crawford is still maintaining a lowly .639 OPS for the season, and it's unclear if the Giants remain committed to him as a regular in the middle infield. Rookie Casey Schmitt appears to be locked in as an everyday option at one of the two middle-infield spots, leaving Crawford and Brett Wisely to vie for most of the opportunities at the other position.

Marcano is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Chris Owings will pick up the start at shortstop in the series finale, but Marcano still appears fairly secure as the Pirates' top option at the position. Unless he makes a pinch-hitting appearance off the bench Wednesday, Marcano will finish May with a solid .271/.317/.525 slash line to go with three home runs and two stolen bases over 22 games.

Tovar went 3-for-4 with two doubles in Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Tovar had himself an excellent night at the plate but didn't have much to show for it, as each one of his hits came with nobody on base. The 21-year-old now has four doubles over his last three games and is tied for the fifth-most doubles in the National League with 15. He's tallied at least one base knock in 10 of his last 11 games, but even after his recent hot stretch, Tovar is slashing just .244/.288/.389 with three homers, 22 RBI, 25 runs and a 9:54 BB:K over 191 plate appearances.

Barrero went 2-for-2 with a walk and a grand slam in Tuesday's 9-8 win over the Red Sox.

The 25-year-old began the game on the bench, but when TJ Friedl (hamstring) checked out early, Barrero took over in center field and gave the Reds what proved to be crucial insurance runs when he drove a Joely Rodriguez sinker off a light standard above the Green Monster in the seventh inning. It's his first career grand slam and only his second homer in 39 games this season, and while Cincy is trying to find ways to keep him in the lineup now that Matt McLain has taken over the starting shortstop role, Barrero and his mediocre .235/.313/.353 slash line could get bumped back to Triple-A when the team finally decides to promote Elly De La Cruz.

Lindor went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Phillies.

The shortstop took Ranger Suarez deep in the fourth inning, giving Kodai Senga and the Mets bullpen all the offense they would need on the night. Lindor has gone yard three times in the last four games, giving him 10 homers in 55 games, but his slash line remains a disappointing .227/.299/.435.