MLB Player News

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.

Seager will sit Saturday against the Diamondbacks, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Seager missed two-and-a-half months with a broken right hand before returning to action Friday. He grabbed two hits in that game, but it's no surprise to see that he won't be asked to start two games in a row immediately after such a long absence. It shouldn't be long before he returns to a true everyday role, but it will be Chris Taylor who starts at shortstop Saturday.

Baez will bat cleanup and play shortstop Saturday against the Reds, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Baez figures to be the Mets' everyday shortstop until Francisco Lindor (oblique) returns, at which point he'll likely fill the starting second base role. The 28-year-old had a .248/.292/.484 slash line in 91 games with Chicago this season.

Seager went 2-for-5 in Friday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

The shortstop showed little rust in his return from a broken right hand that cost him over 10 weeks of action. He reached base on an error in his first trip to the plate, then laced singles in the sixth and ninth innings. Seager is expected to be out of the lineup Saturday, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, but he'll no doubt return to a near-everyday role moving forward.

Franco, who went 2-for-4 with a two-run double, a triple and a run in a win over the Red Sox on Friday, owns a .303/.361/.424 slash line over the 36 plate appearances covering his last eight games.

Arguably just as important is the fact Franco has struck out at a modest 16.7 percent rate in that sample after carrying a more elevated 22.7 percent figure in his first 20 big-league contests. The more consistent contact lends credence to the notion the phenom is quickly adapting to the intricacies of facing big-league arms, just as he did at every minor-league stop during his meteoric rise through the organizational ranks.

Atlanta optioned Arcia to Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday.

The shortstop-turned-outfielder has hit an unremarkable .204 with two home runs and seven RBI in 17 games with Atlanta. Arcia is no longer needed for outfield depth now that sluggers Jorge Soler and Adam Duvall are with the team and active. It remains to be seen whether Arcia will get any more opportunities with the big-league club this season.

Diaz went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Friday's 9-6 win over San Franciso.

Diaz's solo shot in the ninth gave Houston breathing room, as the Giants did not fold after falling behind 7-2 in the sixth inning. He's had multiple hits in all three games since being activated off the injured list and will continue as the fill-in at third base for the injured Alex Bregman (quadriceps).

Bichette went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a second run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 6-4 win over the Royals.

The young shortstop capped the scoring on the night for the Jays by taking Domingo Tapia the other way in the seventh inning. Bichette has been on fire lately, posting four multi-hit performances in the last seven games while slashing .423/.500/.808 with three homers and three steals. On the season, he's batting .298 with 19 home runs, 16 stolen bases, 71 RBI and 81 runs through 100 games.

Edman went 1-for-2 with a double, three RBI, a stolen base and a walk in Friday's 5-1 win over the Twins.

Edman came up with the game's biggest hit, belting a bases-loaded double in the sixth inning to clear the bags and break a 1-1 tie. The double was his fourth in his past five contests and extended his hitting streak to nine games. Edman is slashing a modest .257/.303/.376 on the season, but he has collected a career-high 18 steals through 101 contests.