MLB Player News

Downs went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Sunday's 13-2 loss to the Yankees.

Downs brought Boston to within one run with the first home run of his MLB career, a two-run shot off Gerrit Cole in the third inning. Sunday may have been his final MLB action at this juncture, as the Red Sox anticipate the returns of Christian Arroyo (groin) and Trevor Story (hand) after the All-Star break.

Pena went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run Sunday against the Athletics.

Pena took Adam Oller yard in the fifth inning to record his 13th homer of the season. In seven games since returning from health and safety protocols, Pena has hit .207 with four RBI and two runs scored. Despite the slow stretch, Pena has still maintained a .263/.310/.454 across 284 plate appearances on the season.

Adames went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 9-5 loss to the Giants.

Adames concluded the Brewers' first-half schedule with a pair of two-hit games to lift his batting average to .220. His first-inning home run was his 19th of the season, keeping him one ahead of Rowdy Tellez for the team lead.

Lindor went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's loss to the Cubs.

The shortstop extended his current hitting streak to 11 games in the final contest before the All-Star break, while the steal was his 10th of the season. Lindor has seven career seasons with double-digit pilfers, and the only time he failed to reach that mark was in the shortened 2020 campaign.

Crawford underwent an MRI on Sunday that revealed nothing more than bruising and inflammation to his right knee, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

While the knee issue was still deemed significant enough for the Giants to place Crawford on the 10-day injured list Saturday, the veteran shortstop should have a good chance at being available July 26 when first eligible for activation. Thairo Estrada is expected to serve as the Giants' primary shortstop while Crawford is on the shelf.

Castillo will start in right field and bat fifth in Sunday's game against the Rockies.

Though he's back in the lineup for the series finale while lefty Austin Gomber takes the bump for Colorado, the righty-hitting Castillo was on the bench in both of the previous two games, when the Rockies brought right-handers to the hill. As such, Castillo looks to be stuck in the short side of a platoon at the moment.

Allen is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

Allen will retreat to the bench for the series finale after going 2-for-15 with two runs while starting in each of the past four contests. The 23-year-old rookie is slashing an unremarkable .196/.271/.268 in 107 plate appearances on the season, but he should be in decent shape to hold on to a near-everyday role coming out of the All-Star break while the 31-61 Athletics continue to embrace a rebuild.

Crawford went 2-for-5 with a game-winning RBI single and a double in an extra-inning victory over the Rangers on Saturday.

The veteran shortstop's 10th-inning single snapped a 2-2 tie by plating Sam Haggerty, and the Mariners' Matt Festa was able to shut the door on the Rangers in the home half of the frame to give Seattle its 13th straight victory. Crawford's bat has been particularly productive over the last 10 games, a stretch during which he's generated a .316/.366/.421 slash line and microscopic 2.4 percent strikeout rate across 41 plate appearances.

Downs started at second base and went 0-for-3 in Saturday's 14-1 loss to the Yankees.

The Red Sox placed Trevor Story (hand) on the injured list Saturday, and it looks like Downs will man second base until Story or Christian Arroyo (groin) return. Story's IL placement is backdated to Wednesday, meaning he's eligible to return for the second game after the All-Star break; Arroyo can return the first game after the break. Downs is 3-for-22 with 11 strikeouts over the first eight games of his major-league career.

Strange-Gordon re-signed Sunday with the Nationals on a minor-league contract, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Strange-Gordon initially declined a minor-league assignment and elected free agency when he cleared waivers in mid-June, but he apparently didn't find many offers to his liking while he was on the open market for the past month. As a result, he'll return to the Washington organization and is expected to report to Triple-A Rochester coming out of the All-Star break. Before the Nationals designated him for assignment, Strange-Gordon appeared in 23 games for the big club and slashed .305/.305/.356 with three stolen bases, six runs and three RBI across 59 plate appearances.