MLB Player News

Diaz is starting Friday's game against the Angels at first base, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Diaz didn't appear in Thursday's Opening Day win, but he should serve as the primary first baseman in the coming days after Yuli Gurriel was placed on the paternity list Friday. Diaz will bat fifth against left-hander Reid Detmers.

Bogaerts hopes to return to the lineup Saturday against the Yankees after leaving Friday's game with a right hamstring issue, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

Bogaerts felt the injury while hitting but believes it to be a minor one. While he thinks he can return one day later, the Red Sox could elect to take a more cautious approach. If he's unavailable, Trevor Story would likely slide to shortstop, with Christian Arroyo starting at second base.

Abrams will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Friday's game against the Diamondbacks.

The 21-year-old had his contract selected by San Diego on Thursday and didn't see the field during the Opening Day loss to Arizona, but he'll join the lineup for his MLB debut Friday. Abrams, who is the Padres' top prospect, hit .290/.357/.414 with two home runs, 23 RBI and 13 stolen bases for Double-A San Antonio last year, and he's expected to have at least a part-time role at second base, shortstop and right field this season.

Bogaerts left Friday's game against the Yankees with an apparent injury, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

The specifics of Bogaerts' injury are not yet clear, though it may be a hamstring issue, per John Tomase of NBC Sports Boston. Losing Bogaerts for an extended period would be a big blow to Boston's chances in the highly competitive American League East. The team does have another very competent shortstop in Trevor Story, who signed over the offseason, though shifting him over to his natural position would open up a different hole at second base.

Fletcher went 1-for-3 with a triple and an RBI in Thursday's loss to the Astros.

The infielder smacked his lone hit in the bottom of the eighth inning, bringing home Brandon Marsh. Fletcher is looking to bounce back from a 2021 season in which he hit .262 with a .621 OPS, both of which were career-worst figures for him.

Crawford agreed to a five-year, $51 million contract extension with the Mariners on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Crawford had already avoided arbitration with the Mariners for 2022 by agreeing to a one-year, $4.85 million deal, but the new deal will take effect for this season while buying out two years of free agency. The 27-year-old has settled in as Seattle's everyday shortstop over the past three years, and in 2021 he hit .273/.338/.376 with nine home runs, 37 doubles, 89 runs, 54 RBI and three stolen bases over 160 games.

Ahmed (shoulder) has swung a bat and taken groundballs but is not throwing, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Ahmed has been given a pair of cortisone shots since his shoulder injury flared up toward the end of spring training. The shortstop's shoulder has bothered him for a couple of years now, but he's opted not to undergo surgery. He had a cortisone shot and a platelet-rich plasma injection during the offseason, but that did not alleviate Ahmed's symptoms. Geraldo Perdomo started at shortstop in Arizona's season-opening win over San Diego on Thursday.

Edman went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 9-0 win over the Pirates.

Edman hit ninth Thursday against the right-handed JT Brubaker after batting leadoff in an everyday role last season. Edman isn't known for his pop -- he's posted a modest 27 homers across his three major-league seasons -- but his first hit of the season nonetheless left the yard in the eighth inning off reliever Aaron Fletcher. Batting at the bottom of the order could hurt the second baseman's production due to a drop in the volume of his plate appearances, though there's still a chance he'll hit leadoff against southpaws.

Castillo went 0-for-3 with one strikeout in Thursday's loss to the Cardinals.

Castillo replaced Ke'Bryan Hayes, who left in the bottom of the first inning due to cramping in his arm. The injury isn't expected to be serious, but Castillo would be a prime candidate for extra at-bats if Hayes is forced to miss any additional time.

Witt went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's win over the Guardians.

Witt, who batted second, flew out in his first at-bat and grounded out in his next two plate appearances before sending an RBI double down the left-field line in the eighth inning. The 21-year-old delivered in his first game at the big-league level and is expected to be a big part of Kansas City's potential success this season.