MLB Player News

Crawford will draw his fourth consecutive start at third base and bat seventh Sunday against the Brewers, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

When Crawford was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list Wednesday, the assumption was that he would pick up most of his starts at shortstop, where his solid defense would have its greatest impact. Instead, the Phillies have opted to keep the struggling Scott Kingery at shortstop while having Crawford replace Maikel Franco as the team's primary third baseman. While Franco's .704 OPS this season is far greater than what Crawford (.569) or Kingery (.593) has provided, it appears the Phillies value the latter two players' defense and baserunning skills more than what Franco has to offer at the plate. It thus looks like Crawford will retain an everyday role in the infield, albeit at a different position than expected.

Baez is starting at second base and leading off in Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Baez got a day off Saturday, though he did make a defensive appearance at second base. The 25-year-old will hop back in there Sunday and is leading off for just the second time this season. Baez enters the game with a .254/.284/.531 slash line and a team-high 14 home runs.

Arcia is not in the lineup Sunday against the Phillies.

Arcia will sit for the second time since being recalled from the minors May 30. The young shortstop has hit .292 since his promotion but will give way to Eric Sogard in the series finale.

Story went 3-for-4 with two two-run home runs Saturday against the Diamondbacks.

Story blasted home runs in each of his first two at-bats, both of which came off Matt Koch. He now has 14 for the season, three of which have come in his last two games. He continues to take advantage of Coors Field as he has 12 home runs there and is slugging .784 in 97 at-bats.

Ahmed went 3-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored Saturday against the Rockies.

Ahmed produced throughout the game, starting with his ninth home run of the season in the second inning against Chad Bettis and capping his night off with a two-RBI double in the eighth inning. Despite just a .221 batting average, Ahmed continues to flash surprising power as he has already tied his career-best home run total in a single season through just 199 at-bats.

General manager Michael Girsch said DeJong went in for an evaluation Friday and received good news, as his fractured left hand has seen "significant healing," though he hasn't been cleared for baseball activities at this point in time, Jim Hayes of Fox Sports Midwest reports.

DeJong has been out since the middle of May after being hit by pitch against the Phillies. He was cleared to start "everyday activities" last week but he still appears to be a little ways off from resuming any sort of hitting or fielding drills. With that, it's unlikely that he will be back in action for the Cardinals prior to the last week in June, though a more specific timetable should come into focus once he's able to start baseball activities.

Diamondbacks skipper Torey Lovullo said Friday that he plans to deploy Owings largely in a platoon with Jarrod Dyson in center field for the foreseeable future, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

After starting in eight of the past nine games, Owings hit the bench in Friday's 9-4 win over the Rockies, ceding right field to Jon Jay, who was acquired from the Royals on Wednesday. The Diamondbacks immediately inserted Jay atop the order, and it's likely he'll be a fixture there while he maintains a lofty .360 on-base percentage for the season. With Jay slated for duty at a corner-outfield spot on an everyday basis, it appears there will no longer be regular room in the lineup for Owings, who is slashing an ugly .189/.254/.290 on the campaign. Dyson's status as the left-handed option in the platoon means that he'll garner the larger share of playing time in center field while Owings sees most of his starts against southpaws.

Baez is out of the lineup against Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Addison Russell is back from a multi-game absence due to a finger injury and will give Baez a breather for Saturday's matinee. Over the past four games, Baez has failed to collect a hit, going 0-for-13 with five strikeouts. Look for the infielder to rejoin the starting lineup Sunday.

Crawford is not in the lineup against the Nationals on Saturday, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Crawford will retreat to the bench with southpaw Gio Gonzalez on the hill for Washington. In his place, Alen Hanson will get a start at shortstop and bat atop the Giants' order. Look for Crawford to be back in the starting nine for Sunday's finale against Max Scherzer.

Story went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double in the Rockies' 9-4 loss to the Diamondbacks on Friday.

It was the 12th homer of the year for the 25-year-old shortstop, who accounted for half of his team's runs in this contest with a two-run shot off Diamondbacks starter Zack Greinke in the fifth inning. His .247/.328/.489 slash line puts him right around his career averages through 235 at-bats, and he's on pace for 31 long balls, which would top the career-best total of 27 he posted in his rookie season of 2016 if he's able to maintain the pace.