MLB Player News

Baez went 1-for-5 with an RBI double and a stolen base in Saturday's 4-2 win over Arizona.

The shortstop helped the Cubs get on the board with an RBI double to plate Willson Contreras in the sixth inning. In the eighth, Baez struck out but reached on a wild pitch before stealing second. The 28-year-old has stolen a base in each of the last two games, and he's now 12-for-14 in steal attempts this year. He's added a .241/.286/.492 slash line with 21 home runs, 57 RBI and 43 runs scored through 322 plate appearances. Baez still carries a troubling 37.0 percent strikeout rate, his highest since 2014.

Manager Gabe Kapler said following Saturday's loss to St. Louis that he's optimistic Crawford (hamstring) will be able to return to the lineup for Sunday's series finale, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Crawford exited Friday's win after tweaking his left hamstring. The issue is apparently not too serious, as Crawford was able to pinch hit Saturday. The shortstop is trending toward rejoining the starting nine Sunday, though he'll likely be looked at by the Giants' training staff once more before that decision is made.

Crawford (hamstring) could be available off the bench Saturday against the Cardinals, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Crawford is not in the starting lineup after exiting Friday's game with a left hamstring issue. He could be available to enter the game off the bench, however, which indicates that the veteran shortstop should have a chance to rejoin the starting nine as soon as Sunday.

Seager (hand) won't return from the injured list Monday but will participate in another simulated game that day, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Seager homered in a simulated game Saturday but did not play the field. He'll take batting practice Sunday and appear in another simulated game Monday, but it doesn't look as though he'll be out too much longer past that point.

Lindor, who was placed on the 10-day injured list earlier Saturday, was diagnosed with a Grade 2 oblique strain, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

A Grade 2 strain is a moderate one, and while a timeline hasn't been established for Lindor's return, he'll most likely need several weeks to recover from the injury. The Mets anticipate Lindor will return this season, but a target date for his return likely won't become public until he's cleared to resume baseball activities. Luis Guillorme will get the first crack at replacing him at shortstop Saturday against the Pirates, and the Mets could explore the trade market ahead of the July 30 deadline to secure a short-term upgrade at the position.

Lindor was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a right oblique strain, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

This was the fear when he exited Friday's game with right side soreness. Given the nature of the injury, Lindor could return in late July or early August if all goes well. Travis Blankenhorn was recalled in a corresponding move. Luis Guillorme, Jonathan Villar and Jose Peraza could all see starts at shortstop in the short term.

Crawford (hamstring) won't start Saturday against St. Louis, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Crawford left Friday's game in the eighth inning with a left hamstring issue. The injury is evidently serious enough to cost him at least one start. Thairo Estrada gets the nod at shortstop in his absence.

Seager (hand) will play in a simulated game at the Dodgers' spring training facility Saturday and is on track to return to the active roster Monday, Michael J. Duarte of NBC LA reports.

Seager has been out of action for over two months after breaking his hand on a hit-by-pitch against the Marlins in mid-May. His return appears to be imminent, however, and he could be in the lineup for the first game of next week's NL West clash against the Giants. That possibility will be more clear after Saturday's simulated game, during which Seager is expected to play 5-6 innings and take three at-bats, per David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports.

DeJong went 3-for-4 in a loss to the Giants on Friday.

Although all three hits were singles, they allowed DeJong to inch ever closer to the Mendoza Line. There were signs the slugging shortstop was starting to pick it up at the plate as the All-Star break approached -- he belted a pair of home runs over the last two games of the first half -- and with Friday's production, DeJong now owns a .355/.429/.613 slash line over the 35 plate appearances he's logged across 10 July contests.

Swanson went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 7-6 loss to the Rays.

Swanson mashed a solo shot to left to give Atlanta a 3-2 lead in the fourth. It was his 16th homer of the year and the third over his last two games. The 27-year-old is slashing .243/.301/.458 with 38 extra-base hits, 41 RBI, 41 runs scored, six steals and a 26:103 BB:K over 367 at-bats. He's on pace for career highs in many hitting categories but must cut down on his strikeouts, as he's currently striking out 28.1 percent of the time.