MLB Player News

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.

Ahmed isn't starting Monday against the Marlins.

Ahmed will get a breather after he went 1-for-11 with a run, an RBI and a strikeout over the last three games. Geraldo Perdomo will start at shortstop and bat ninth.

Double-A Akron placed Rocchio on its 7-day injured list Monday due to a concussion.

Rocchio presumably picked up the injury during his last game Sunday against Richmond, when he doubled in his lone at-bat before exiting the contest. The 21-year-old switch-hitting infielder isn't known to have a prior history of head injuries, so the Guardians should have some optimism that he'll be in store for an abbreviated absence. Before sustaining the concussion, Rocchio appeared in 25 games for Akron and slashed .236/.324/.393 with three home runs and two stolen bases.

Swanson went 2-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and three runs scored in Sunday's win over the Brewers.

The 28-year-old continues to climb out of his early season hole. Over his last 16 games, Swanson is slashing .340/.414/.560 with two homers, three steals, eight RBI and 12 runs, although he still sports an elevated 31.0 percent strikeout rate during that stretch.