MLB Player News

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

Cruz had started all six games since being called up for his major-league debut Monday, but he'll receive a breather in the series finale at Tampa Bay. The 23-year-old has gone 7-for-27 with three doubles, seven RBI, four runs and a stolen base. Diego Castillo will take over at shortstop Sunday for the Pirates.

The Rays activated Franco (quadriceps) from the 10-day injured list Sunday. He'll start at shortstop and bat second in the Rays' series finale with the Pirates, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Franco was on the shelf for just under a month with a left quad strain, but the 21-year-old looks ready to go after recently wrapping up a five-game rehab assignment in the minors. He'll immediately slot back in as Tampa Bay's everyday shortstop, leaving Taylor Walls and Vidal Brujan to vie for playing time at the keystone.

Reyes was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Sunday.

Reyes was promoted in early June and appeared in four games for Milwaukee, and he went 4-for-14 with a walk and a run before being sent back to Nashville. His stay on the roster could be short-lived since Kolten Wong (calf) is on a minor-league rehab assignment and is expected to be activated from the injured list Tuesday.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.

Diaz, who started the last two games after missing four straight contests due to right shoulder soreness, is expected to move back into a utility role on a full-time basis moving forward after the Astros reinstated top shortstop Jeremy Pena (thumb) from the 10-day injured list Sunday. While Pena was sidelined for approximately two weeks, Diaz went 4-for-22 with a double, a walk, two runs and zero RBI while serving as Houston's primary shortstop.

Castillo went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Saturday against the Rays.

Castillo took Corey Kluber deep in the third inning to record his seventh home run of the season. Castillo did not homer and had only five extra-base hits in a 27-game span between May 8 and June 12, but he has connected for five home runs in his last 10 starts. However, he's still hitting just .171 in that span. For the season, Castillo has maintained a .197/.240/.348 line across 192 plate appearances.

Houston reinstated Pena (thumb) from the 10-day injured list Sunday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. He'll start at shortstop and bat sixth in the Astros' series finale in New York versus the Yankees.

The Astros optioned outfielder Chas McCormick to Triple-A Sugar Land to clear room on the 26-man active roster for Pena, who had been sidelined since June 13 with left thumb discomfort. Though the rookie wasn't sent out on a minor-league rehab assignment while he was on the shelf, he proved his health by completing multiple workouts that included a full array of baseball activities. Expect Pena to immediately reclaim duties as the Astros' everyday shortstop after batting .277 with nine home runs, six stolen bases, 27 RBI and 27 runs in 54 games prior to landing on the IL.

Smith started at third base and went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Saturday's 3-2 win over Washington.

Smith, who stole 21 bases in the minors last year, swiped his second bag since joining the Rangers and has a combined 10 in the minors and majors in 2022. With Saturday's news that Ezequiel Duran was optioned back to the minors, Smith should get a steady supply of plate appearances as Texas' primary third baseman.

Baez went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Saturday's win over the Diamondbacks.

Baez was also caught stealing for the first time this season in four attempts and was picked off first base, too, so his stat line could have been better. This was actually a pretty tame performance for the shortstop compared to other recent results. He crushed a grand slam Friday and homered in his two games before that as well, recording seven total RBI across the three contests. Baez can be a streaky player, but when he's in a groove, he typically delivers elite fantasy production. It looks like he's in a groove right now.

Swanson went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run Saturday in a 5-3 victory against the Dodgers.

Swanson plated the game's first runs with his third-inning, two-run shot to center field. The long ball was his fourth in his past four games and 13th overall this season. Swanson has enjoyed a big June, slashing .383/.448/.660 with seven homers, 19 RBI, 22 runs and three stolen bases over 23 contests.

Adames went 1-for-4 with an RBI single and two runs scored in Saturday's win over Toronto.

Adames scored on a Tyrone Taylor single in the first and an Andrew McCutchen homer in the second, just after sending Keston Hiura home on an RBI single of his own. Adames has been productive lately, with an RBI in three straight games. He has a hit in seven of his last nine games but has also struck out 11 times during that span, giving him a .206 batting average on the season.