MLB Player News

Luciano is hitting .266/.359/.547 with 14 home runs and a 27:48 BB:K across his first 53 games with Low-A San Jose.

Still just 19 years old, Luciano shot up the prospect rankings after an electric stateside debut in rookie ball in 2019, and despite last year's minor-league season having been lost to COVID-19, he's pretty much picked up right where he left off. He leads all of Low-A in homers, and a somewhat unlucky BABIP is largely to blame for his unremarkable batting average. There are only two knocks on Luciano from a fantasy perspective: that he's not widely expected to stick at shortstop and that he's still a couple years away from the big leagues. Considering the stats he appears capable of putting up once he reaches the majors, it'll be worth the wait.

Berti is not starting Friday's series opener against Atlanta, Jordan Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

The 31-year-old started consecutive games Wednesday and Thursday but went hitless in seven at-bats, reaching base just once via a walk. Berti has gone just 2-for-21 with eight strikeouts since Joe Panik, who is starting at third base Friday, joined the Marlins.

Arcia is not in the starting lineup Friday against the Marlins.

Arcia went 5-for-15 with a homer and four RBI while starting all four games in left field since being recalled July 4. He'll get a rest Friday as Abraham Almonte starts in left field and bats fifth.

Baez (thumb) will start Friday against the Cardinals despite originally not being listed in the lineup, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Baez had been lined up to miss his third straight contest with a sprained right thumb, but he felt good after swinging in the cage Friday and will elect to give it a go. He'll look to recapture the form he was in immediately prior to the injury, as he went 6-for-11 with three homers and seven RBI over a three-game stretch from Sunday through Tuesday.

DeJong is out of the lineup Friday against the Cubs, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

DeJong is 5-for-22 with two doubles, three walks, an RBI and two runs through seven games in July. Edmundo Sosa will work at shortstop in Friday's series opener.

Baez (thumb) is not in the lineup Friday against the Cardinals.

Baez will be sidelined for the third straight contest as he continues to manage a sprained right thumb. The shortstop should continue to be considered day-to-day, though it's unclear if he'll be able to rejoin the lineup this weekend before the All-Star break. The Cubs made multiple roster moves Friday which didn't involve Baez heading to the injured list, which could indicate he's close to taking the field.

Turner went 3-for-5 with two home runs, three runs, three RBI and a stolen base in a 9-8 loss to the Padres on Thursday.

Turner smacked a solo home run in the first, singled, stole second and scored in the third and clubbed a two-run shot to center in the fourth to give Washington an early 8-0 lead. The homers give the slugging shortstop 17 on the season -- he's already approaching his career high of 19 in both 2018 and 2019 -- and his 19 steals are third in all of baseball.

Baez (thumb) is out of the lineup Thursday against the Phillies.

Baez was scratched from Wednesday's starting nine with a sprained right thumb and will miss his second straight contest. The 28-year-old should be considered day-to-day until the Cubs indicate otherwise. Sergio Alcantara will receive another start at shortstop in his absence.

Story went 1-for-5 with a single in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Story reached on an infield single in the third and would end up stealing second, but he never came around to score. The stolen base was his 16th of the year and he's on pace to set a new career-best after successfully stealing 27 times in 2018. The 28-year-old is slashing .252/.324/.445 with 11 homers, 41 RBI, 40 runs scored and a 28:67 BB:K over 309 plate appearances. Story currently is seeing a career-low in slugging percentage and BABIP which explains his lower home run tally and middle-of-the-road numbers.

Crawford went 1-for-4 with a walk and a steal in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Cardinals.

Crawford got on for his first time of the day with a fifth-inning walk and then later singled and stole second in the seventh before the frame came to a close. The 34-year-old has racked up 13 hits over six games so far in July and is slashing .275/.355/.537 with 17 homers, 55 RBI, 46 runs scored, seven steals and a 31:64 BB:K over 290 plate appearances overall in 2021.