MLB Player News

Turner (finger) was activated off the 10-day injured list Friday.

Turner had a two-game rehab stint at High-A Potomac earlier in the week, clearing the way for his return after missing the last six weeks with a fractured finger. The 25-year-old played in only four games before suffering the injury on a hit-by-pitch, and will slot into the leadoff spot in his first game back with the Nationals, per Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic.

Rojas (ribs) is starting at shortstop and batting eighth Friday against the Mets, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Rojas was removed from Wednesday's game after an issue cropped up with his rib cage, but he's good to go following Thursday's scheduled off day. The 30-year-old will look to break out of his current slump, as he is 2-for-20 over his last six games.

Rojas described the injury that took him out of Wednesday's game as an issue with his rib cage, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports. "Nothing serious," Rojas said. "I don't think it's muscular or anything, or something that is going to keep me from playing. I feel one of my ribs went out of place. Every time I get it adjusted, I feel fine."

It doesn't sound like Rojas will be out for long, as he could return to the lineup as soon as Friday. The veteran shortstop is slashing .242/.299/.288 through 39 games and is still looking for his first homer in 2019 after launching a career-high 11 last year.

Baez went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Reds.

The Cubs had just four hits as a team, with Baez accounting for half of them. The 26-year-old just keeps hitting, as he now has a .326 average and .971 OPS to go along with 11 home runs, 29 RBI and 32 runs scored through 41 games.

Downs went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, three runs and four RBI for High-A Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday.

Downs is swinging a hot bat for the Quakes, as he's now hitting .364 with a 1.119 OPS over his last 10 games. He's also launched four homers over that time to give him six on the season. The 20-year-old got off to a slow start, slashing .213/.276/.371 in April, but with 14 hits in his last 30 at-bats he has moved his average up to .247, and the recent power surge is an encouraging sign he's adjusting well in the California League.

Turner (finger) left his rehab assignment at High-A Potomac and rejoined the Nationals for a workout Thursday, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Turner's return to Washington wasn't believed to be the result of any setback he incurred with his fractured finger, so it could signal that the team intends to activate him from the 10-day injured list ahead of Friday's series opener with the Cubs. The Nationals will presumably assess Turner's condition during the workout before determining whether he's ready to rejoin the big club or if he's in need of more at-bats on the farm. Turner played nine innings at shortstop on back-to-back days at Potomac, going 1-for-8 with a walk and four strikeouts between the two contests.

Story was diagnosed with a bruised left knee after exiting Wednesday's loss to Boston, but he hopes to play Friday at Philadelphia, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Story collided with teammate Raimel Tapia on a play down the left-field line during the bottom of the ninth inning, and was then removed from the game. The early diagnosis is good news for the 26-year-old, and he will have Thursday's scheduled off day to aid in his recovery before this weekend's series against the Phillies.

Story left Wednesday's loss to the Red Sox in the 10th inning after colliding earlier with teammate Raimel Tapia on a play in the field, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Saunders further elaborated that Story wanted to remain in the game, but the Rockies exercised a little bit of caution. According to Michael Spencer of CBS Denver, manager Bud Black said after the game the potential issue is with the 26-year-old's left knee. The team has a scheduled off day Thursday before playing the Phillies on the road Friday.

Rojas exited Wednesday's game against the Rays with back spasms, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Rojas appeared to tweak his back while running the bases and attempted to remain in the game, but was removed shortly after retaking the field. The 30-year-old will have a full day to recover with Thursday's scheduled off day and should be considered day-to-day.

Crawford went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

Crawford took Ryan Tepera deep in the sixth inning to break a 3-3 tie, providing what turned out to be the game-winning run. He now has two home runs on the season, but is still slugging just .278 across 160 plate appearances. His strikeout rate is up five percentage points from a year ago.