MLB Player News

Franco isn't starting the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against Cleveland, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Franco will be out of the lineup for the first time since he was called up by the Rays on June 22. He's slashed .229/.302/.396 with two home runs, seven RBI, seven runs and two stolen bases across 12 major-league games. Taylor Walls will start at shortstop while Vidal Brujan makes his big-league debut at second base.

Fletcher went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Red Sox.

The 27-year-old infielder extended his hitting streak to 20 games in impressive fashion. Fletcher is batting .412 (33-for-80) over the course of the streak, pushing his slash line on the year to .295/.324/.352, but he has only four steals in 80 games and is still looking for his first homer.

Crawford went 4-for-5 with a double and three RBI in Tuesday's loss to St. Louis.

The shortstop racked up four hits for the first time this season and plated over half of the Giants' runs in the game. He knocked in two with a third-inning single and drove home another run with a double in the fifth. Crawford has been scorching at the plate of late, going 11-for-17 with two doubles, a triple, two walks and four RBI over his past four games.

Baez went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in Tuesday's 15-10 loss to Philadelphia.

Baez went deep in the sixth and seventh innings, and he also had a sacrifice fly in the fourth. The shortstop has gone deep three times in two games against Philadelphia this week. The 28-year-old is up to 21 long balls, 56 RBI, 41 runs scored and 10 stolen bases through 77 games, although his .234 batting average leaves a bit to be desired.

Arcia went 2-for-3 with a solo home run during Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Pirates.

The 26-year-old supplied Atlanta's lone run of the contest with his solo shot during the first inning, and his third-inning single was one of only three other hits from the offense. Arcia is 4-for-11 with a homer, an additional RBI and an additional run in three games since joining the big-league roster over the weekend.

Cruz (forearm) was placed on the 7-day minor-league injured list Tuesday, Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Cruz hasn't appeared in a game since June 30 due to a sore forearm, and the injury is apparently bad enough to warrant a trip to the injured list. General manager Ben Cherington recently said that he doesn't believe the injury is serious, but it's not yet clear when the 22-year-old will be able to return. Prior to getting hurt, Cruz slashed .289/.349/.538 with nine homers, 34 runs, 29 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 43 games at Double-A Altoona.

Anderson is not starting Tuesday's game against the Twins.

Anderson gets a long-overdue day on the bench after going 1-for-3 with two walks and a run Monday. The 28-year-old has hit .313 with three doubles and nine runs scored in his last 11 games. Danny Mendick will start at shortstop and bat ninth Tuesday.

Ahmed is not starting Tuesday against the Rockies.

Ahmed will get at least the beginning portion of Tuesday's game off as Josh Rojas slides to shortstop and Josh VanMeter takes over at second base.

Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Seager (hand) has resumed swinging and is expected to begin a rehab assignment some time shortly after the All-Star break, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Seager was initially hoping to return to the Dodgers' lineup in early July, but his return timeline was delayed when soreness emerged in his right hand at the end of June. Beginning to swing again marks a big step forward as he continues to target a mid-July return. If he is indeed able to start a rehab assignment at the end of next week, it seems possible that he could be activated as soon as July 19 against the Giants.

Strange-Gordon will become a free agent after opting out of his minor-league contract with the Cubs on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The 33-year-old has now spent time in Triple-A with both the Cubs and Brewers this season, but he's earned a big-league call-up from neither organization. Strange-Gordon hit .233 with three stolen bases and nine RBI in 116 at-bats with Triple-A Iowa. Whether he draws interest from another organization remains to be seen.