MLB Player News

Diaz is batting sixth and playing shortstop Thursday against the Brewers.

The 26-year-old is off to a slow start at the plate, slashing just .218/.233/.406 across 101 at-bats, prompting manager Mike Matheny to drop him to the bottom third of the batting order for the first time all season. Stephen Piscotty moved up to second in the order for the game. It remains unclear if the Cardinals plan to stick with this order moving forward, though that seems possible at least until Diaz is able to turn it around at the dish.

Story is not in the lineup Thursday against the Padres.

After starting all but one of the Rockies' first 27 games, Story will head to the bench for the second straight contest as Alexi Amarista gets the nod at shortstop in his stead. There hasn't been any indication of an injury, but it should be something to monitor moving forward. It could just be to clear the young shortstop's head -- as he owns a meager .170/.271/.404 slash line through 94 at-bats this season -- though more should be known after the contest.

Swanson went 0-for-1 with three walks and two runs scored in Wednesday's loss to the Mets.

He still can't get many hits to fall in, as evidenced by his .156 batting average, but Swanson has adjusted his approach at the plate and has stopped chasing pitches, walking eight times over the last week against only five strikeouts. The Braves seem to have full confidence that their 23-year-old shortstop will figure things out in the majors, and while his production continues to lag, he is showing signs of putting things together.

Baez is in the Cubs' lineup at second base and batting seventh Thursday.

The interesting hitter isn't always starting, but when he does, fantasy players typically should use him. Baez is coming off a 4-for-4 effort Tuesday and is batting .271/.325/.500 in 78 plate appearances heading into a matchup with the Phillies' Zach Eflin.

Rojas rapped out four singles in five at-bats and scored three runs in Wednesday's win over Tampa Bay.

The light-hitting utility infielder has a .309 average built on 17 hits this year -- 14 singles and three doubles. He sees enough at-bats that there may be some deep NL-only fantasy utility here, but that's about it.

Owings went 2-for-5 with solo home run during Wednesday's loss to Washington.

It's been a spectacular start to the season for Owings, as he's already up to 14 runs, five home runs, 21 RBI, eight stolen bases and a .313/.358/.525 slash line. He's also spending plenty of time batting second in front of Paul Goldschmidt -- a cushy lineup spot. While it's difficult to envision Owings maintaining this torrid pace, there would have to be a prolonged and crippling slump before it's a legitimate fantasy concern.

Story is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Padres, Jenny Cavnar of Root Sports reports.

After starting each of the last 18 games for the Rockies, Story will head to the bench as Alexi Amarista fills in at shortstop. The 24-year-old is off to a slow start at the plate this season -- slashing .170/.271/.404 across 27 games -- so hopefully the day off will help him straighten things out.

Ahmed will start at shortstop and bat seventh in the order Wednesday against the Nationals.

Ahmed will make his fourth straight start Wednesday, but there's been no indication from the Diamondbacks that he'll be in store for an everyday role in the near future. These last two starts have come as a byproduct of David Peralta (illness) being unavailable, so once he's healthy, Ahmed figures to settle back into reserve duty.

Gordon is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Rays, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Despite swiping three bases in Monday's contest, Gordon will head to the bench on the heels of an 0-for-4 showing Tuesday night. Miguel Rojas will man the keystone for the evening.

Baez went 4-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Tuesday's win over the Phillies.

Baez filled the stat sheet from the No. 9 spot in the order and raised his slash line to .269/.315/.507. He's receiving inconsistent playing time so far this season as a utility player, but games like this show the 24-year-old's potential.