MLB Player News

Strange-Gordon was released by the Pirates on Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Strange-Gordon signed a minor-league deal with the Pirates in early July but struggled in 16 appearances with Triple-A Indianapolis with a .661 OPS. He's also spent time with the Reds, Brewers and Cubs this year without receiving a big-league opportunity.

Wendle is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

Wendle has sat twice in three games against a right-handed starting pitcher, with his lack of usage seemingly signaling that he'll be the odd man out more often than not in the crowded Tampa Bay infield. The downturn in playing time comes even while Wendle performed respectably in July, finishing the month with a .304/.328/.429 slash line in 15 games.

Chang is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.

Owen Miller will step in at first base for Chang, who started each of the past three games at the position and went 2-for-11 with a triple, a double, two RBI and two runs. Chang's path to regular playing time at first base will likely be blocked soon, as Bobby Bradley (personal) could return from the bereavement list during the upcoming week.

Crawford went 1-for-4 with an RBI single, a walk and a stolen base in Saturday's 8-6 win over Houston.

The shortstop made his biggest impact in the sixth inning, knocking in Darin Ruf on a single for the go-ahead run. Crawford then stole second, but he didn't come around to score. The 34-year-old posted a stunning .455/.508/.636 slash line in 15 games in July, although he missed time with an oblique injury after the All-Star break. He's posted career highs in batting average (.288) and stolen bases (eight) while adding 18 homers, 62 RBI and 50 runs scored through 325 plate appearances overall.

Diaz went 2-for-4 with two home runs and an additional RBI in Saturday's 8-6 loss to San Francisco.

Diaz was caught up in the homer dome at Oracle Park, as the two teams combined for eight long balls. Since being activated off the injured list, Diaz is 8-for-19 with three home runs, eight RBI and six runs scored. He continues to slot in at third base while Alex Bregman (quadriceps) is on a rehab assignment.

Bogaerts went 1-for-2 with two walks and a two-run home run in Saturday's 9-5 loss to the Rays.

He took Ryan Yarbrough deep in the first inning, helping Boston to an early 3-0 lead that quickly evaporated. It's the shortstop's first homer since the All-Star break and 16th of the season, a good sign that his wrist is feeling better, but Bogaerts is slashing only .220/.292/.341 to begin the second half.

Ahmed went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 8-3 loss to the Dodgers.

Ahmed knotted the score 3-3 with his 405-foot shot to left in the fifth, but Los Angeles would proceed to score five unanswered runs to easily take the contest. The extra-base hit was the slick-fielding shortstop's first since July 21, and his first long ball since July 3.

Swanson went 3-for-4 with a grand slam, a two-run homer and an RBI single in Saturday's 8-1 win over the Brewers.

Swanson knocked in seven of the Braves' eight runs Saturday night, as the shortstop set a career high in RBI. His two-run home run in the sixth knocked Milwaukee starter Brandon Woodruff out of the game, and his grand slam in the seventh blew the game wide open. The native Georgian also pushed his hit streak to seven games in the process. In order to make room for newcomers Jorge Soler and Adam Duvall, Swanson hit seventh in the order for the first time since May 7. By the looks of things, he's alright with the switch.

Baez went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer against the Reds in his Mets debut Saturday.

Baez brought the Mets to within 4-3 in the sixth inning when he took Wade Miley deep to left-center field. Baez, who hit cleanup, also struck out twice to give New York the full Baez experience in his debut. He'll be the regular shortstop at least as long as Francisco Lindor (oblique) remains on the shelf. Baez is slashing .248/.291/.490 with 23 homers and 67 RBI in 365 plate appearances this season. He's also stolen 13 bases in 16 attempts.

Story (rest) is starting Saturday's game against the Padres, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Story was scratched from Friday's lineup to give him a day off, but he'll return to shortstop while batting third Saturday. The 28-year-old has gone 4-for-19 with a home run, two doubles, three runs and three RBI across his last five starts.