MLB Player News

DeJong will start at shortstop and bat third Sunday against the Pirates, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny is giving breathers to Dexter Fowler and Jose Martinez on getaway day, leaving a couple openings near the top of the order. DeJong will fill Martinez's usual spot in the three hole, making him a decent value play in DFS contests with a lightly regarded prospect in Nick Kingham taking the hill for Pittsburgh in his MLB debut.

Ahmed will start at shortstop and bat second Sunday against the Nationals.

With southpaw Gio Gonzalez twirling for the Nationals, the Diamondbacks will hold out three key left-handed bats, including outfielder Jarrod Dyson. That opens the door for Ahmed, who typically bats out of the sixth or seventh spot, to receive his most favorable lineup assignment of the season. He'll be nestled between David Peralta, who homered twice Saturday, and Paul Goldschmidt, who owns a .927 OPS on the campaign.

DeJong went 2-for-4 with a run in a loss to the Pirates on Saturday.

It was an underwhelming performance for the Cardinals offense as a whole, but DeJong came through with the team's only multi-hit effort. The 24-year-old shortstop has racked up a pair of hits in five of his last seven games, a span that includes four doubles and two home runs.

The Phillies placed Crawford on the 10-day disabled list Sunday with a right forearm strain, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Crawford, who departed early from Saturday's game against the Braves, is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Sunday, which should shed more light on the extent of his setback. Based on the team doctors' initial evaluation of Crawford's injury, it was quickly determined that he would be unavailable for at least the next week and a half, prompting the team to call up utility man Jesmuel Valentin from Triple-A Lehigh Valley for further reinforcement in the middle infield. It's likely that Crawford's absence will primarily benefit Scott Kingery, who should take over as the everyday shortstop after having been benched for three of the last four games in light of his recent struggles at the plate.

Seager went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during an 8-3 loss to the Giants in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.

After going 2-for-5 with two RBI in the opener, Seager stayed locked in by taking Johnny Cueto deep in the first inning of the nightcap. He's now hit safely in six of his last seven games to boost his slash line to .268/.351/.402, but Seager's power numbers remain disappointing -- he has only two home runs and 13 RBI through 25 games.

Crawford will undergo an MRI on his strained right forearm Sunday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Crawford's forearm has apparently been bothering him for a few days now, and it was a big enough issue Saturday to force his premature removal from the game. The severity of the injury remains unclear, but manager Gabe Kapler noted a trip to the disabled list is "possible," according to Breen.

Crawford exited Saturday's game against the Braves with a right elbow strain, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

It's unclear when Crawford sustained the injury, but he made an awkward throw on a play in the hole early in the game. The severity of the issue isn't known at this point. He was 0-for-1 before exiting the contest.

Pennington cleared waivers Saturday and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Louisville.

Pennington was already with Louisville, having been optioned there Thursday. Now off the 40-man roster, he's one step further away from returning to the big leagues, though his versatility leaves him multiple avenues back to the show. With a career .242/.309/.339 line in parts of 11 seasons, though, don't expect much from him if he does end up back with the big club.

Seager (hip) is back in the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Giants, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Seager suffered a minor hip injury Wednesday against the Marlins and sat out one game, but he won't miss any more than that. The young shortstop is hitting a mediocre .250/.343/.341 with just one home run through his first 102 plate appearances so far this season. His .292 BABIP is near the league average but far below his .352 career figure, so it's possible that he's been getting unlucky, though his hard-hit rate also sits at a career-low 35.6 percent.

Baez went 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI in Friday's win over the Brewers.

With his RBI single in the first inning, Baez extended his hitting streak to 10 games. During this stretch, the young infielder is hitting .413 with three home runs, six doubles, 10 runs scored and 15 RBI. Baez is locked in at the plate right now and remains a strong option in all fantasy formats.