MLB Player News

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.

Turner went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in Saturday's 7-1 win over the Angels.

Turner hit a solo shot in the first inning and a two-run blast in the third, giving the Dodgers all the offense they needed for the win. It was his first multi-homer game of the season and the 11th such effort in his career. The shortstop has four multi-hit games during his seven-game hitting streak, which has lifted his season slash line to .306/.354/.493 in 90 contests. He has 14 homers, 68 RBI, 54 runs scored and 17 stolen bases as the Dodgers' regular No. 2 hitter.

Correa went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 6-3 victory over the White Sox.

Lance Lynn hung a breaking pitch in the middle of the zone and Correa did not miss. It was just Correa's second homer of July -- he entered Saturday's game with a .163/.302/.256 line across 12 games this month. However, after the two-hit effort Saturday, Correa is back up to .282/.357/.455 for the season. He has 11 home runs to go along with 33 RBI and 39 runs scored in 69 games.

Edman went 2-for-5 with a walk, a stolen base and three runs scored in Saturday's 11-3 victory over the Reds.

The steal was Edman's 20th this season, tying him with Ronald Acuna for fourth in MLB. Edman endured a rough stretch at the plate recently and his OPS still sits at just .699 for the season, but he has now recorded multiple hits in four of his last five games. Edman remains the Cardinals' leadoff hitter.

Story was placed on the injured list with a bruised right hand Saturday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Story has been out since being hit in the hand by a pitch Tuesday against Tampa Bay. The decision to place him on the injured list won't cost him many days due to the All-Star break. The move can be backdated to Wednesday, meaning he'll be eligible to return for the second game of the second half. Connor Wong was recalled to take his place on the roster.