MLB Player News

Smith batted leadoff and went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and was caught stealing in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Mets.

Smith was back in the leadoff spot against a right-hander after being dropped to ninth against a lefty the day prior. The rookie infielder has a 17.4 BB% and has reached base safely in 11 of 12 starts while sporting a .449 on-base percentage overall.

Swanson went 3-for-5 with one run scored and one stolen base in Saturday's win over the Reds.

This heater Swanson is on may reach legendary status in fantasy circles -- he's been a top-10 roto hitter to date. Swanson hit .330/.390/.563 with seven homers and three steals in the month of June, and he's off to a 7-for-10 start to July, with two doubles, a homer and now a steal. The 28-year-old will be eligible for free agency this winter.

Franco went 2-for-8 with two walks, a solo home run and three total runs scored while starting both games of Saturday's doubleheader against the Blue Jays.

After starting at shortstop in the matinee, Franco served as the designated hitter for the evening game. The homer in Game 1 was Franco's first since April 26. The 21-year-old just returned last weekend from a quad injury that cost him close to a month, and with better health, Franco's numbers should improve in the second half.

Abrams isn't starting Saturday against the Dodgers.

Abrams will get a breather after drawing 11 consecutive starts. During that time, he hit .231 with two doubles, three runs and three RBI. Ha-Seong Kim is taking over at shortstop and batting seventh Saturday.

Rojas (neck) is in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Nationals.

Rojas was involved in a collision in the infield Friday and eventually left the game with what manager Don Mattingly described as "almost like a little stinger." The issue won't end up costing Rojas a start. He has quietly been on a nice run, batting .290/.337/.430 with three homers and four steals since the start of June.

Swanson went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a three-run home run in Friday's 9-1 win over the Reds.

The shortstop needed a triple in his final at-bat to record his first career cycle and nearly got it, but Tommy Pham just managed to cut off a ball in the gap before it reached the fence and Swanson had to settle for another two-bagger. The performance snapped a brief 0-for-12 mini-slump, but Swanson still boasts a stunning .350/.406/.615 slash line since the beginning of June, a 28-game stretch that features eight homers, three steals, 22 RBI and 23 runs.

Perdomo went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Friday's 9-3 win over the Rockies.

Perdomo has hits in two straight contests after experiencing a nasty nine-game slump during which the rookie was hitless over 27 at-bats. He also endured a 1-for-22 start to the season. Arizona coaches are not surprised by Perdomo's struggles against MLB pitching and have been working on the finer points of hitting when time permits, Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic reports. However, with Perdomo the everyday shortstop while Nick Ahmed (shoulder) is done for the season, he won't get a lot of downtime.

Rojas went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 6-3 win over the Nationals before getting replaced defensively in the ninth inning.

The shortstop banged into Joey Wendle attempting to field an infield single in the seventh inning but stayed in the game to take his at-bat in the eighth before getting removed. After the game, manager Don Mattingly described the issue as "almost like a little stinger" and indicated Rojas' removal was mostly precautionary, but it's not yet clear whether he'll be in the lineup Saturday or will get a full day off to recover.

Smith batted ninth and went 1-for-3 in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Mets.

Smith made his third straight start at third base. Unlike the previous two, when he batted leadoff against righties, Smith was dropped to ninth against a lefty. That Charlie Culberson didn't get the start, as was the case the last time Texas faced a southpaw, is a signal the Rangers are going to get Smith into the lineup in more than a platoon role. Since coming off the injured list June 21, the rookie is 4-for-22 (.182) with five walks and three runs.

Berti went 0-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, two RBI and two stolen bases in Friday's 6-3 win over the Nationals.

Batting leadoff in place of the injured Jazz Chisholm (back) while getting the start in left field, Berti made a nuisance of himself on the basepaths once again, swiping bags in the third and sixth innings. The utility player now leads the majors with 24 steals, and 20 of them have come since the beginning of June -- a stretch during which he's also slashing .288/.353/.365 with 12 RBI and 16 runs in 27 games.