MLB Player News

Cruz went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Reds.

After sitting out the afternoon game, Cruz returned for Game 2 and notched his second steal of the campaign. The strikeouts are piling up at an alarming rate (22 strikeouts now in 17 MLB games this season), and Cruz will need to make more consistent contact in the years to come to get the most out of his immense skills.

Swanson went 1-for-4 with a walk and two stolen bases in a 3-2 loss in extra innings Thursday against St. Louis.

Swanson walked and stole second in the first and singled and swiped a bag in the fifth. The shortstop continues to play well and has a .355/.375/.581 with five extra-base hits and three stolen bases in 32 plate appearances in July. Swanson joins Julio Rodriguez and Kyle Tucker as the only players in baseball with 14 homers and 14 stolen bases.

Baez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 2-1 win over the White Sox.

Dylan Cease and two Chicago relievers held the Tigers to just five total hits, but Baez made his lone hit count, going deep against Cease in the fourth inning. The shortstop now has eight long balls this season, with five of those coming since June 18. Baez can be a bit streaky, but he's trending in the right direction.

Pena (COVID-19 protocols) will travel with the team to Oakland, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Pena was scratched from Thursday's lineup against the Royals due to health and safety protocols, but it seems likely that he'll be able to avoid a trip to the COVID-19 IL since he'll remain with the Astros during their road trip. The 24-year-old should be considered day-to-day ahead of Friday's series opener against the Athletics.

Edman isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against Atlanta, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Edman went 1-for-13 with three strikeouts over the last three games and will get a breather in Thursday's series finale. Edmundo Sosa is starting at shortstop and batting eighth.

Adrianza is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Phillies, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Adrianza had started in each of the last four games, though he's expected to fade into more of a part-time role moving forward since Nelson Cruz's (illness) return from a two-game absence will no longer leave an extra lineup spot available. Maikel Franco, who made one start as the Nationals' designated hitter while Cruz was out, will be back in the lineup at third base Thursday.

Pena was scratched from the lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Royals due to health and safety protocols related to COVID-19, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The team notably hasn't placed Pena on the COVID-19-related injured list or indicated that he tested positive for the virus. He was presumably pulled from the lineup as a matter of precaution, likely due to him dealing with an illness or being viewed as a close contact of an infected person. Mauricio Dubon will pick up a start at shortstop in place of Pena.

Pena was scratched from the lineup ahead of Thursday's game with the Royals due to an unspecified reason, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Astros haven't provided an immediate explanation behind Pena's removal from the lineup, but he's presumably dealing with an injury. Just one week ago, Pena missed a game after suffering a mouth laceration in a collision with teammate Yordan Alvarez, but he cleared the concussion protocol and proceeded to start each of the past six games, going 7-for-29 with three home runs over that stretch. Mauricio Dubon will fill in for Pena at shortstop in Thursday's series finale.

Witt (hand), who remains out of the lineup for Thursday's game in Houston, is scheduled to field grounders and take swings as the Royals look to gauge his availability moving forward, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Manager Mike Matheny said that all scans conducted on Witt's right hand came back clean, but the club will wait and see how the star rookie responds to Thursday's on-field workout before a determination is made on when he might be ready to return to the lineup. Nicky Lopez is expected to fill in as the Royals' primary shortstop for however long Witt's absence may linger.

Cruz isn't starting the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Reds.

Cruz will get a breather after he hit .156 with three homers, a double, six RBI and four runs over his last nine games. Diego Castillo is starting at shortstop and batting fifth during Thursday's matinee.