MLB Player News

Crawford (hand) took batting practice for the first time Thursday with High-A Clearwater, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic Philadelphia reports.

He had already resumed fielding activities, but this marked a big step in his recovery from breaking his left hand. Crawford has been out since June 19, and could soon progress to a rehab assignment.

Rojas (back) is starting at shortstop and hitting seventh Thursday against the Nationals, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

He dealt with back spasms in Monday's game, but it was a minor issue, as he appeared off the bench the following day. Rojas won't play every day going forward, but his defense should earn him three or four starts per week, sharing time with JT Riddle and Martin Prado.

Swanson is out of Thursday's lineup against the Dodgers.

Ozzie Albies (hamstring) returns to action, but the Braves weren't quite ready to send Charlie Culberson to the bench, so he will slide over to shortstop, hitting sixth. Swanson is hitting .241/.323/.328 with one home run and two steals in 58 at-bats this month.

Baez (upper leg) is not in the lineup against Arizona on Thursday.

Baez will remain out of the starting nine for the second straight day as he continues to recover from a bruise above his knee. He was able to join Wednesday's game as a pinch hitter and picked up a single before being replaced by a pinch runner. Manager Joe Maddon failed to comment whether he was just being precautious or if Baez suffered any sort of setback, but either way, the second baseman will take a seat for the series finale. In his place, David Bote will man Baez's position and bat ninth.

Owings started at third base and finished 1-for-3 with a stolen base in the Diamondbacks' 2-1 loss to the Cubs on Wednesday.

Owings drew the rare start at the hot corner with top option Jake Lamb moving to the bench due to a lefty (Jon Lester) starting for the Cubs. The utility man was able to contribute in the run game and has now notched nine steals in 12 attempts on the season, but that's about the only positive achievement in his profile from a fantasy perspective. Owings is under the Mendoza Line for the campaign and maintains a .547 OPS, his worst mark since breaking into the big leagues in 2013.

Crawford went 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to Seattle.

Crawford's production has really tailed off after his stellar month of June, as he is slashing a meager .162/.269/.206 with just three extra-base hits in 76 July plate appearances. The shortstop currently sports a career-high .338 BABIP, so a dip in batting average was to be expected. Crawford still owns a healthy .284/.354/.447 slash line on the year, so his fantasy owners are hoping that Wednesday's extra-base hit ignites his hibernating bat.

Turner will bat seventh and start at shortstop Wednesday against the Brewers, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Turner was left out of Tuesday's starting lineup after failing to run to first base following a bunt attempt during Monday's game. He did enter the game as a pinch runner, but got caught stealing after breaking for second base a little too early. Across 100 games this year, he's hitting .263/.338/.401 with 12 home runs, 40 RBI and 22 stolen bases.

Baez (upper leg) is out of the lineup against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Baez is dealing with a bruise above his knee that he suffered during Tuesday's game when he slid into second base in the seventh inning. It doesn't appear as though this issue should sideline Baez for any additional time, but manager Joe Maddon could elect to hold him out of Thursday's series finale if there is no improvement. In his place, Ben Zobrist will start at second base and bat third Wednesday.

Arcia went 3-for-6 with a double and an RBI in a game with Triple-A Colorado Springs on Tuesday.

The Brewers sent Arcia to Triple-A to find his swing, and he has done just that, hitting .346/.424/.494 through 21 games with Colorado Springs. It's not clear how much longer the Brewers will keep him in the minors, but the big club has missed his defense at shortstop in his absence, so it might not be long.

D'Arnaud started at third base and went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Tuesday's victory over the Mariners.

D'Arnaud has started six of the 11 games since his callup June 8, batting .300 (9-for-30) with a pair of homers over that span. The utility infielder has been seeing semi-regular starts due to the slew of lefties the Giants have faced recently, but that surge in playing time is about to come to a close with Evan Longoria (hand) nearing a return.