MLB Player News

Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings is not in the lineup Friday against the Giants.

Owings had drawn the start in each of the past eight games, so Friday appears to just be a regular day off. Aaron Hill will draw the start at the keystone in his place and bat fifth.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (calf) is back in the lineup Friday against the Diamondbacks.

After missing seven straight contests and having an off day Thursday, Crawford will rejoin the lineup after battling a lingering calf issue. He'll man his usual shortstop duties, while batting seventh against Rubby De La Rosa.

Braves second baseman Jace Peterson is not in the lineup Friday against the Phillies.

It will be the fourth day off in five games for Peterson, as the second baseman has struggled in the month of September to the tune of a .186/.255/.256 slash line in the month. Daniel Castro will get the start at the keystone Friday, batting second.

Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon went 2 for 4 with an RBI, a steal and a run scored in a 6-4 win over the Nationals on Thursday.

It's been a hell of a season for the young second baseman and he keeps adding to his resume every day. Gordon's been especially hot over the last four games, as he has 10 hits including a home run, a double, four RBI, two steals, and five runs scored in that span. Not only is he second in the NL with a .333 average, he is also second in all of baseball with 52 steals this season.

Dodgers sizzling shortstop Corey Seager was 2 for 4 with an RBI single Wednesday to improve his slash line to .426/.526/.617 over his last 47 at-bats.

He has nine walks to just six strikeouts and has reached base in all 13 games he's appeared in during that time.

Jimmy Rollins should be back shortly from a finger injury, but it's going to be tough for manager Don Mattingly to justify sitting Seager despite his earlier declaration that Rollins would assume the position upon his return.

Cubs second baseman Javier Baez is not in the lineup for the game Thursday against Pittsburgh, Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com reports.

Tommy La Stella will get the start at second with Addison Russell sliding in at shortstop for Baez, who will sit after reaching base safely in six of his last eight games.

Cubs shortstop Javier Baez went 2-for-4 with a double in Tuesday's 2-1 victory over the Pirates. Baez seems to be hitting his stride more and more with each game, with the 22-year-old star prospect now having hit safely five of his last seven contests, including three consecutive multi-hit performances in that span.

While he certainly displayed some power by hitting nine homers in his 2014 stint with the major league club, Baez still scuffled his way to a .169 average and 95 strikeouts over 213 at-bats.

A spectacular 2015 campaign in Triple-A Iowa that saw him hit .324 prior to his Sept. 1 call-up appears to have done wonders for Baez's overall game, although he has yet to truly thrive in the power department. The Cubs figure to give Baez as much seasoning as possible for the remainder of the season in the hopes of preparing him for a starting role on the 2016 squad.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (calf) remains out of the lineup Tuesday against the Reds.

He will miss a sixth straight start due to a lingering calf issue, though the matchup against lefty John Lamb may have played a part in the decision to hold Crawford out yet again. Crawford hit off a tee Sunday but his status for the rest of the week is uncertain. Ehire Adrianza starts again at shortstop for San Francisco.

Crawford (calf) could play Wednesday, but Friday is a more likely return date, the San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea reports.

It sounds like owners could get roughly two weeks from Crawford before the end of the season, although the Giants will likely be very cautious with him upon his return.

Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon went 2-for-4 with a run scored and stole his 51st base during Monday's loss to the Mets.

Gordon continues to enjoy a terrific season at the dish, slashing .327/.353/.405 while stealing 51 bases in 67 attempts. He's still 13 bags off his career high of 64 steals set last season and while he may fall short of that total, Gordon is poised to post the best OBP and SLG of his career. Some of the improvement is surely due to a career high .345 BABIP, but he's also cut his strikeout rate to 11.6% after posting rates north of 18.8% in each of the past two seasons.

Dodgers rookie shortstop Corey Seager is destined for the bench once the injured Jimmy Rollins returns. But he is certainly trying to give manager Don Mattingly a second thought on that plan.

Seager slammed four hits in a Saturday defeat of Arizona. He singled in a run in the first, singled in another in the second, blasted a solo homer in the fifth and doubled and scored in the ninth. He also walked in reaching base in all five plate appearances.

He now owns a six-game hitting streak in which he is batting .500 (10 for 20).