MLB Player News

Baez (back) will start at shortstop and bat third Tuesday against the Mariners.

Baez was pulled late in Sunday's 9-8 win over the Rangers due to back stiffness, but Monday's team off day seems to have provided the 29-year-old with enough time to move past the injury. He'll head into Tuesday's series opener sporting a .239/.278/.315 slash line for the month of August.

Abrams will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Tuesday's game against the Athletics, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

The Nationals aren't yet ready to pull the plug on Abrams as their everyday shortstop, but the 21-year-old rookie hasn't fared as well as Washington had hoped when they called him up from Triple-A Rochester on Aug. 15. After batting just .136 with no walks and a 26.7 percent strikeout rate in 12 games since his promotion, Abrams will be moved down in the order after previously slotting between the sixth and eighth spots in the lineup.

Barrero isn't in the starting lineup Tuesday against the Cardinals.

This marks consecutive games on the bench for Barrero, who has gone 4-for-33 with no extra-base hits in his last 10 contests. Kyle Farmer will start at shortstop Tuesday while Alejo Lopez mans third base.

Cruz went 1-for-4 with a walk and a three-run home run Monday against the Brewers.

Cruz took Corbin Burnes deep in the fifth inning to tally his 11th home run of the season. He's still in the midst of an extended slump, as he's hit only .163 with a 42.9 percent strikeout rate across his last 14 starts -- including Monday. Even so, he's shown signs of being an excellent source of power and speed, delivering six stolen bases in addition to his 11 homers across 56 games this season.

Adames went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI in Monday's 7-5 win over the Pirates.

Adames singled three times Monday, including an RBI base knock in the third inning to open the game's scoring. The 26-year-old shortstop is now 22-for-74 (.297) with 21 RBI in 17 games against the Pirates. Adames has posted seven multi-hit games this month, resulting in a .274 average and 14 runs scored through 25 contests.

Story went 3-for-3 with a run scored, a walk and a stolen base in Monday's 4-2 loss to Minnesota.

Story knocked three singles and stole his first base since June 26. He's 4-for-6 in two games since returning from the injured list after dealing with a wrist injury. He's now slashing .230/.298/.428 with 11 steals, 51 runs scored and 32 extra-base hits through 83 games.

Triple-A Worcester placed Downs (ankle) on its 7-day injured list Thursday.

Downs hadn't played for Worcester since Aug. 18 with a left ankle injury before being deactivated a week later. The 24-year-old debuted in the majors earlier this season and hit .154 over 14 games, but his ankle injury may take a promotion back to Boston off the table when the active roster expands to 28 men in September.

Barrero isn't starting Monday against the Cardinals, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Barrero started the last seven games and hit just .087 with a run, an RBI, two walks and 11 strikeouts over that stretch. Kyle Farmer is starting at shortstop and batting third Monday.

Williams is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Dodgers, Paige Leckie of MLB.com reports.

Williams will be back in his usual bench role for the series finale after he struck out in all three of his at-bats while starting in left field during Sunday's 8-1 loss. The 26-year-old is expected to see occasional starts down the stretch, with most of his opportunities coming against left-handed pitching.

Rojas is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Dodgers, Paige Leckie of MLB.com reports.

He'll get a breather for the series finale after going 5-for-21 with a double, two RBI and a run while starting at shortstop in each of the Marlins' previous five contests. Charles Leblanc will get a look in the middle infield while Rojas rests.