MLB Player News

The Rangers optioned Smith to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Shortly after the All-Star break, Smith's hold on the everyday third-base job had started to loosen, with the rookie having handled more of a utility role of late. Considering Smith had started in only two of the previous five games and was batting just .206 in August, the Rangers evidently felt the 25-year-old was best off heading back to Triple-A to regain confidence at the dish and play on a more frequent basis. Outfielder Kole Calhoun (heel) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list and took over Smith's spot on the 26-man active roster.

Cruz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Cruz is one of multiple lefty-hitting Pirates regulars who will bow out of the lineup with southpaw Mike Minor on the hill for the Reds. Kevin Newman will slide over from second base to replace Cruz at shortstop.

Franco was pulled off his rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham on Sunday after experiencing lingering soreness in his surgically-repaired right wrist while swinging the bat, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After starting the rehab assignment at Durham on Tuesday, Franco appeared in just one game before the Rays opted to have him rest for a few days with the hope that it provide sufficient time for the pain in his wrist to dissipate. However, the four consecutive days off apparently weren't enough to resolve the issue, so Franco will head back to the team's facility in St. Petersburg for further treatment. Since he hasn't played for the big club since July 9, Franco will likely need to head back to a minor-league affiliate for game action at some point before being activated from the 10-day injured list, but it's unclear when he might be able to do that in light of the setback.

Tovar (hip/groin) will head to Arizona on Sunday to begin a rehab assignment, Danielle Allentuck of The Denver Gazette reports.

The talented shortstop has not played since June 29 due to a hip/groin injury. According to Allentuck, Tovar will complete his rehab assignment and will then be moved up to Triple-A Albuquerque for the final games of the season. The 21-year-old hit .318/.386/.545 with 13 home runs and 17 steals in 66 games at Double-A.

Chang went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored Saturday against the Royals.

Chang drew the start at second base with southpaw Kris Bubic on the mound, sending Brandon Lowe to the bench. Chang has started only two of the team's last six games -- both against lefties. So long as the Rays' infield remains relatively healthy, he figures to occupy a limited role. For the season, Chang has a .211/.276/.316 line across 127 plate appearances with three different teams.

Barrero is not in Sunday's lineup against the Pirates, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Barrero had started 15 consecutive games since being recalled Aug. 3. However, he's hit just .193 with a near 51 percent strikeout rate in that span. Matt Reynolds will take over at shortstop and hit sixth in Barrero's place.

Adames went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's loss to the Cubs.

Adames knocked in Christian Yelich on an eighth-inning homer. It was the second home run of the week for the shortstop and his 24th of the season. Adames has been very streaky this month, with two three-game hit streaks, a five-game hit streak and now a two-game hit streak. Despite stringing together multiple hitting streaks, Adames has a .233 August batting average partially thanks to 18 strikeouts this month. He is slashing .222/.287/.451 on the season.

DeJong went 1-for-5 with a grand slam in Saturday's 16-7 win over the Diamondbacks.

The Cardinals responded to Arizona's three-run rally in the eighth inning with an eight-run ninth, with DeJong accounting for half of that burst. His grand slam snapped an 0-for-20 skid at the plate, and it helped him avoid a sixth straight hitless game. The shortstop had hit well since his call-up from Triple-A Memphis, but the recent skid has dropped him back to a .176/.256/.359 slash line for the year. He's added six homers, 24 RBI, 15 runs scored and three stolen bases in 43 contests.

Pena went 1-for-5 with a solo home run, an additional RBI and two total runs scored in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to Atlanta.

Pena opened the scoring with a solo shot in the fifth inning. He scored as the initial runner in the 10th and added his second RBI of the game on a groundout in the 11th, but Atlanta proved resilient in ultimately picking up the win. The rookie shortstop has gone 10-for-37 (.270) with a homer, four RBI and eight runs scored in his last nine games. For the season, he's slashing .248/.290/.421 with 16 homers, 43 RBI, 52 runs scored and seven stolen bases through 403 plate appearances.

Grissom went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings win over the Astros.

Grissom responded to just the second hitless game of his career Friday with his sixth multi-hit effort Saturday. He knocked a game-tying solo shot in the fifth inning. The 21-year-old infielder has slashed .385/.442/.667 through 43 plate appearances, adding three homers, eight RBI, 12 runs scored and two stolen bases through 11 games. Grissom will look to hold down a starting role at the keystone at least until Ozzie Albies (foot) returns, which isn't expected to be until mid-September at the earliest. If Grissom stays hot, manager Brian Snitker may have no choice but to find a spot for his bat in the lineup.