MLB Player News

Cruz is not in the starting lineup Friday versus the Marlins.

Cruz will get a breather to open the second half of the season as the Pirates start a three-game set against the Marlins. Kevin Newman will slide over to shortstop while Diego Castillo draws the start at second base in the series opener.

Smith is not in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the Athletics.

Smith will get a day off to open the second half of the season as the team opens a four-game series in Oakland. Ezequiel Duran will take over at third base and bat seventh in the series opener.

Story (hand) tracked pitches Friday but isn't yet swinging a bat, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Story is feeling better following the All-Star break but hasn't yet been cleared for full activity. The 29-year-old should be on the injured list longer than the minimum of 10 days, and a clearer timetable for his return will presumably come into focus once he's able to ramp up his workload.

Allen is not in the starting lineup Friday against the Rangers.

Allen will get a breather after he went 1-for-6 with two strikeouts while starting both games of Thursday's doubleheader with the Tigers. Tony Kemp will handle second base while Chad Pinder starts in left field in the series opener.

McLain (wrist) was activated from the 7-day injured list Friday, Doug Gray of RedsMinorLeagues.com reports.

The 22-year-old will be active with Double-A Chattanooga for the first time since late June, joining Elly De La Cruz in the infield. McLain has produced a .233 average with 12 homers, 35 RBI, 42 runs and 16 stolen bases over 219 at-bats in 59 games with Chattanooga this year.

Watson (not injury related) was activated by the Marlins on Friday, Joe Frisaro of ManOnSecondBaseball.com reports.

Watson hasn't played since July 1 due to a disciplinary reason, but he'll return to game action with the Marlins' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate after missing three weeks. The 19-year-old appeared in 59 games at Single-A Jupiter earlier in the year and slashed .221/.274/.372 with eight homers, 36 runs, 35 RBI and 12 stolen bases.

Martinez was placed on the 7-day injured list at High-A Lake County on Friday with a strained left shoulder.

Martinez has an .869 OPS in 61 games for Lake County this season but will now be unavailable due to the shoulder issue. The severity of the strain remains unclear, though the 20-year-old will be eligible to be reinstated from the IL next week.

Duran started at second base and batted ninth in Thursday's 8-0 win over the Marlins, going 1-for-4 with a run scored.

Duran was called up from Triple-A Round Rock after the Rangers placed Brad Miller (neck) on the injured list. Marcus Semien, the primary starter at second base, moved to shortstop as Corey Seager got the day off. This is Duran's second stint in the majors this season, and he was one of three members of the lineup -- along with Josh Smith and Elier Hernandez -- getting their first taste of MLB in 2022. Throw the 23-year-old Leody Taveras into the mix, and a picture of an organization building toward next year's squad emerges.

Baez went 3-for-9 with two runs scored across both games of Thursday's doubleheader against the Athletics.

Baez was dynamic in Game 1 with three hits before going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the nightcap. That's par for the course with the streaky shortstop. While he's batting just .216 this season and .211 in July, he does have two home runs, 10 RBI and 10 runs scored across 18 games this month, so he has at least contributed some counting stats despite struggling to make consistent contact.

Crawford (knee) will throw and do some light activity Thursday, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Crawford received a cortisone shot in his left knee Sunday and will resume baseball activity Thursday for the first time since being placed on the injured list July 26. Assuming he ramps up without issue, Crawford could return when first eligible Tuesday in Arizona.