MLB Player News

Ahmed went 1-for-4 in Friday's 8-3 loss to the Cubs.

Ahmed, who is batting just .225 with a .615 OPS, manned his usual spot at shortstop and could be doing that for a while. Arizona's primary backup at short is Josh Rojas, who is expected to hit the injured list with a fractured left pinky finger. Per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, manager Torey Lovullo named Andrew Young and Eduardo Escobar as Ahmed's backups, but neither has much recent experience there. Scouts don't see Young as an average defender at second base, let alone shortstop, and Escobar has played just two innings there since joining the Diamondbacks three years ago. In short, it may not matter if Ahmed continues to hit. Since returning from the All-Star break, he's batting .409 with a .980 OPS over seven games.

Franco went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in Friday's win over Cleveland.

Franco now has back-to-back multi-hit games for the first time this season, but the star prospect has struggled at the dish at times and is only hitting .233 with a .664 OPS through his first 98 big-league plate appearances. He has time on his side to get better and should eventually adjust to handle MLB-caliber pitching, but it's been a slow start to his life at the MLB level.

Baez went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, a double and two runs in Friday's 8-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Baez has now recorded hits in nine of his last 10 appearances, and he blasted his first homer since July 6 during Friday's win. The 28-year-old has slashed .345/.381/.603 with four home runs, 15 RBI, 10 runs and four stolen bases across his last 15 games, and he could be involved in trade talks ahead of the July 30 deadline.

Owings underwent surgery on his left thumb Friday, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

Owings was placed on the injured list with a mallet finger injury on his left thumb Tuesday, and he doesn't have a timetable for his return following Friday's procedure. Joshua Fuentes and Connor Joe could see increased playing time in the infield while the 29-year-old is sidelined.

Berti landed on the 7-day concussion injured list Friday.

Berti was struck in the back of the head by a pitch Thursday and diagnosed with a concussion, so the transaction is an expected one. Deven Marrero's contract was selected in a corresponding move, with the team looking for additional help in the infield.

Wendle is out of the lineup Friday against Cleveland, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

New addition Nelson Cruz should handle most of the starts at designated hitter going forward, creating even more of a logjam in what was already a crowded infield. Wendle will continue to compete for playing time at third base, shortstop and second base with Wander Franco, Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe and Taylor Walls.

Arcia will not start Friday's game against Philadelphia.

Arcia has emerged as Atlanta's primary left fielder, though he's hardly hitting like a corner bat, slashing .233/.283/.395 in 12 games for his new team. Abraham Almonte starts in left field in his absence.

Rojas went 0-for-1 with three walks and a stolen base in Thursday's 3-2 loss to San Diego.

Considering the shortstop hadn't drawn a walk since July 5, it was a little surprising to see him display so much patience at the plate. Rojas also added his seventh stolen base of the year Thursday. The 32-year-old has a .270/.333/.409 slash line with five home runs, 27 RBI and 37 runs scored. He also lifted his walk rate to 7.4 percent, but he shouldn't be counted on to draw frequent free passes.

Arcia went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Thursday against the Phillies.

Arcia led off the fourth inning with a home run, his second of the season. He entered the game on a moderate cold stretch, failing to collect any hits in each of his last three starts. Through 12 contests since being recalled by Atlanta on July 4, Arcia is hitting .232 with two home runs, eight RBI and five runs scored.

Swanson went 1-for-4 with a grand slam and a walk Thursday against the Phillies.

Swanson ignited Atlanta's offense by smacking a grand slam in the third inning. It was his 17th home run of the season and third in his last seven starts. Despite the power surge, Swanson is just 3-for-26 since the All-Star break, though it's encouraging he has only struck out five times in that span. Overall, Swanson is hitting .232/.290/.445 with 42 runs scored and 46 RBI across 391 plate appearances on the campaign.