MLB Player News

The Cardinals optioned DeJong to Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Since slugging a career-high 30 home runs in 2019 and earning an All-Star nod, DeJong hasn't come close to replicating that performance in the two-plus seasons that have followed. He was off to an especially brutal start to the 2022 campaign, having slashed just .130/.209/.208 with a career-worst 29.1 percent strikeout rate. The Cardinals will send DeJong down to Memphis with the hope that he finds his swing and recaptures some confidence at the plate, but at least for now, his time as the big club's everyday shortstop is over. Tommy Edman is expected to slide over from second base to play shortstop in the short term, while Brendan Donovan will be first in line to get a look as St. Louis' primary option at the keystone.

The Twins are expected to place Correa (finger) on the 10-day injured list, possibly as soon as Tuesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Though Correa's initial diagnosis of a broken right middle finger proved erroneous, he continues to deal with bruising and soreness with the digit and will be out of the lineup for the fourth game in a row Tuesday against the Astros. Hayes notes that while Correa hasn't experienced any setbacks with the finger, he still needs about 3-to-4 more days to completely heal up from the injury, and the Twins can't afford to play a man short in their series with Houston. Assuming Correa goes on the IL, Royce Lewis would continue to serve as the Twins' everyday shortstop for the rest of the week.

Anderson's suspension for making an obscene gesture towards fans that he received in late April was reduced to a fine Tuesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN reports.

Anderson made the gesture during a doubleheader against the Guardians on April 20 and was handed a one-game suspension two days later, but he immediately appealed the punishment and has been able to remain in the lineup. The lowered punishment means he'll be able to continue his everyday role going forward.

Smith will start at third base and bat sixth in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader with the Tigers.

Smith is getting his seventh start in a row and looks to be locked in as the Athletics' everyday third baseman against both left- and right-handed pitching now that the more versatile Sheldon Neuse has moved into picking up regular at-bats at several different positions. Despite the steady playing time, Smith hasn't offered much from a fantasy perspective since slugging a grand slam in a May 3 loss to the Rays. In the five games that followed, Smith went 1-for-15 with a triple, a walk and no runs or RBI.

Franco went 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Monday's 11-3 loss to the Angels.

The young shortstop continues to swing a hot bat. Franco has a five-game hitting streak going, and on the season the 21-year-old is slashing .322/.347/.517 with four homers, three steals, 15 RBI and 20 runs in 28 contests.

Witt went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 6-1 loss to the Orioles.

Witt hit leadoff for the second time in three games, and he may get a longer look in that spot with Edward Olivares (quadriceps) on the injured list. Witt opened the game with a single, stole second with two outs and then scored on a Ryan O'Hearn single. Through seven games in May, Witt is 6-for-22 (.272), cooling down slightly after ending April with hits in nine straight contests. Overall, the top prospect is slashing .229/.260/.333 with a home run, five steals, seven RBI and 10 runs scored across his first 100 major-league plate appearances.

Mateo went 1-for-4 with an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 6-1 win over the Royals.

Mateo sparked the Orioles' fifth-inning rally with an RBI single before stealing second and scoring on a Trey Mancini single. This extended Mateo's hitting streak to five games, and he's gone 6-for-19 (.316) in that span. The 26-year-old owns a .242/.280/.358 slash line with nine steals, a home run, seven RBI and 10 runs scored through 28 contests.

Crawford (back) could be back in the lineup Tuesday against the Phillies, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Crawford will miss his second straight game with back spasms Monday, but it doesn't appear as though he's dealing with a serious injury. The Mariners will see how his back responds to him hitting in the cage Monday before determining when he'll return.

Crawford (back) remains on the bench Monday against the Phillies.

Crawford left Saturday's game against the Rays with back spasms and didn't take part in Sunday's series finale. He'll miss the chance to face his former team Monday, but there's been no indication that he's anything other than day-to-day. Dylan Moore will make another start at shortstop.

Barrero (hand) has resumed swinging in the batting cages, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Barrero recently suffered a setback in his recovery but has been progressing since then. While the 24-year-old hasn't yet hit in any extended spring training games, he's been playing the field in those matchups and has picked up a bat once again. It's not yet clear when he'll be in the mix to rejoin the big-league club.