MLB Player News

Fletcher (hip) underwent surgery to repair the adductor muscles in both legs Tuesday and is expected to be sidelined for "a couple months," Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The 27-year-old landed on the injured list Sunday with a strained left hip and is now likely to be sidelined until at least the All-Star break in July. Fletcher missed over two weeks with the injury before returning from the injured list April 29, but he never fully recovered and could no longer play through the issue. Tyler Wade should see most of the action at the keystone until Matt Duffy (illness) returns from the COVID-19 IL.

Abrams was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old started 16 games during the first month of the season but never found his groove offensively with a .182/.270/.273 slash line in 65 plate appearances. Abrams' playing time diminished over the past couple weeks, and he'll now head back to the Triple-A level to see more regular at-bats. Ha-Seong Kim should continue to operate as the Friars' primary shortstop, though Abrams could receive another opportunity in the majors later in the year.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak hinted that Edman may continue to see most of his starts at second base even after everyday shortstop Paul DeJong was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Mozeliak suggested that Edman will continue to get reps at shortstop during pregame activities over the next few days before the Cardinals contemplate a position change, but the club doesn't seem overly motivated to shift him off second base and potentially disrupt his excellent start to the season both in the field and at the plate. Before Edman gets a look at shortstop, the Cardinals are likely to give chances to Brendan Donovan -- who picks up his first MLB start at the position Tuesday -- and Edmundo Sosa (illness), who is expected to return from the COVID-19 injured list later this week. Edman, meanwhile, will remain at the keystone and bat leadoff in Tuesday's series opener.

Crawford (back) will bat third and play shortstop Tuesday against the Phillies, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Crawford missed the last two games due to back spasms, but he'll return here to face the team that selected him in the first round back in 2013. He'll look to continue the momentum from an excellent start which has seen him hit .340/.435/.546 through his first 28 games.

Correa landed on the injured list with a right middle finger contusion Tuesday.

It initially looked as though Correa had broken his finger after he was hit by a pitch Thursday against the Orioles, though tests later revealed that he was merely dealing with a bruise. The Twins gave him a few days to see if he would heal fast enough to avoid the injured list, but it turns out he'll need more time to heal. The move was made retroactive to Friday, so Correa will be eligible to return next Monday. Royce Lewis should continue to serve as the team's primary shortstop until Correa returns.

Edman is expected move over from second base to serve as the Cardinals' everyday shortstop following the demotion of Paul DeJong to Triple-A Memphis, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Edman began his tenure with the Cardinals as a utility player in 2019, but in the majority of fantasy leagues, he carried only second base and outfield eligibility into 2022. He has played exclusively at the keystone through his 27 games this season, but he looks like he'll have a chance at gaining eligibility at shortstop. How long Edman sticks at the position will be determined by the length of DeJong's stint in the minors, as well as what kind of role the Cardinals envision Edmundo Sosa (illness) handling once he's activated from the COVID-19 injured list. Sosa had previously been DeJong's backup, but the Cardinals could opt to give him a trial as the everyday shortstop while moving Edman back to second base.

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.