MLB Player News

Tovar is hitting .320/.403/.587 with 10 homers, 16 steals and a 20:41 BB:K through 43 games for Double-A Hartford.

The 20-year-old endured a rough 2021, but the Rockies started him off in Double-A this year anyhow, and he's been an absolute wrecking ball. He's only been caught stealing once all year, and he's presently in the midst of a 12-game hitting streak during which he's hit .400 with a 1.234 OPS. It's hard to find any flaws in Tovar's game -- he's already considered a big-league-ready shortstop defensively, and now that he's hitting like this despite being one of the youngest players in Double-A, his prospect star is rising quickly.

Wendle (hamstring) received a PRP injection Thursday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Wendle landed on the injured list with a right hamstring strain Wednesday, but the team is hopeful that his injection will aid in his recovery process. A timetable for his return hasn't yet been revealed, but Jon Berti and Willians Astudillo should see additional playing time while Wendle and Brian Anderson (back) are sidelined.

Mateo isn't starting Thursday against the Mariners, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Mateo started in the last five games and went 6-for-19 with a triple, two doubles, a stolen base and five strikeouts. Chris Owings will take over at shortstop and bat ninth.

Smith (knee) went 0-for-2 with a walk in a loss to the Astros on Wednesday.

The rookie had missed Tuesday's matchup with a knee bruise, but he was able to start and play a full game at third base Wednesday. Smith is still mostly scuffling against big-league arms, as his season line stands at an unsightly .200/.227/.336 following Wednesday's contest.

Seager is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Rays.

Seager will get his first day off since April 17, going 7-for-22 with three homers, four RBI, five runs and a stolen base over his last five games. Marcus Semien will slide over to shortstop while Charlie Culberson will enter the lineup at second base and bat ninth.

Baez remains out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins,

According to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, Baez is on the bench for a second straight game not due to an injury, but as part of a "planned mental break." The consecutive days off come after Baez closed May with a .129/.182/.161 slash line over the final eight games of the month. He's sitting on a career-worst .542 OPS through his first 40 games with Detroit this season, perhaps giving the Tigers some buyer's remorse after signing him to a massive six-year, $140 million deal this winter.

Smith (wrist) replaced Andy Ibanez at third base to start the ninth inning of Wednesday's 4-3 extra-innings loss to the Rays. He went 0-for-1 with a walk.

Smith was held out of the starting lineup with a potential wrist injury, but he entered as a defensive substitution. There appears to be more to the substitution than getting a better fielder in the game. The game was tied at the time, so there was every expectation that Smith would make a plate appearance -- he was due up in the bottom of the ninth -- so it appears that if there was a wrist injury, it's an insignificant one.

Ahmed (undisclosed) is expected to play in two games at extended spring training this week, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

The report indicates the first game was Wednesday, and he was expected to play again Thursday. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said if all goes well, Ahmed will be re-evaluated to determine next steps in his rehab program.

Crawford went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Orioles.

Crawford took Kyle Bradish yard in the fourth inning to record his fifth homer of the season. It was his first long ball since May 1, and he recorded only three total extra-base hits across 86 at-bats in that span. However, Crawford has maintained a 15.3 percent strikeout rate across 196 plate appearances on the season, which has helped him maintain a .298/.388/.452 line.

Smith's absence from the lineup Wednesday against the Rays could be related to him being hit on the right wrist by a pitch in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Rays, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Smith was able to play the full nine-inning game Tuesday, but he could be dealing with some residual pain in the wrist after he was hit by a pitch for the second time in the contest. Andy Ibanez will draw the start at third base Wednesday, but assuming his wrist issue isn't anything more than a day-to-day concern, Smith looks like he'll get a chance to play regularly against both right- and left-handed pitching.