MLB Player News

Crawford went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's 8-5 win over Houston.

The shortstop extended Seattle's lead to 8-4 with his ninth-inning blast. Crawford's homer gave Seattle a little more breathing room when Alex Bregman homered in the bottom of the ninth. In his last 16 games, Crawford has gone 19-for-71 (.267), hitting safely in 13 of those contests. He's slashing .267/.332/.364 with seven homers, 44 RBI, 75 runs scored and three stolen bases through 585 plate appearances.

Anderson (hamstring) took batting practice Wednesday and has been doing some straight-line running, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Anderson remains without a timeline for his return, but it's nonetheless encouraging that he's taking part in at least some baseball activities. The 28-year-old will need to ramp up his activity level before a potential return date comes into focus.

Velazquez went 2-for-3 with a run and a stolen base in Tuesday's loss to Toronto.

Velazquez entered Tuesday's contest having gone 1-for-11 over his previous six games while seeing a significant decline in playing time due to the return of Gleyber Torres. The 27-year-old managed his first multi-hit performance since Aug. 19 and his first theft since Aug. 24. Velazquez is slashing .242/.254/.387 with a home run, six RBI and four steals on the season.

Adames (quadriceps) hit in the batting cage Wednesday and revealed he may not be 100 percent recovered until the offseason, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Adames landed on the injured list Sunday after aggravating his strained left quad, and it's unclear how long he's going to be sidelined. The 26-year-old should return this season but isn't expected to be fully healthy, though he hopes to get back to "at least 95 percent" in advance of the playoffs.

Downs (thumb) has gone 2-for-8 with two stolen bases in his first two games for Triple-A Worcester since being activated from the 7-day injured list Sunday.

Downs spent the minimum amount of time on the shelf with an inflamed thumb. He's been able to showcase his speed since returning to action, but the impact of his running has been somewhat offset by five strikeouts in those two games. The increased amount of swing and miss in Downs' approach at the plate is part of a distributing trend that has persisted throughout the 2021 campaign. He's struck out at a 33.1 percent clip this season, a major reason why he's sitting on a lowly .181 average over 344 plate appearances with Worcester.

Smith isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Yankees.

Smith's playing time has dried up recently, and he'll head to the bench for the fourth time in the last five games. Jake Lamb will start at the hot corner and bat eighth.

Rojas (shoulder) is starting Wednesday's game against the Mets, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Rojas missed Tuesday's game after he exited Sunday's contest due to left trapezius soreness. However, he'll start at shortstop and lead off in Wednesday's matchup.

Adrianza remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.

Adrianza made a pair of starts at the keystone to kick off Atlanta's September slate, but he'll be on the bench Wednesday for the fifth game in a row now that everyday second baseman Ozzie Albies has moved past his recent knee injury. With Atlanta locked in a tight battle with the Phillies and Mets for the National League East crown, Adrianza's opportunities are expected to be scarce while manager Brian Snitker continues to lean heavily on his everyday players for the final three weeks of the season.

Swanson will start at shortstop and bat seventh Wednesday against the Nationals.

Despite going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs in Tuesday's 8-5 win to end a 1-for-20 skid at the plate, Swanson will remain in a bottom-third spot in the order for a third straight game. Swanson had been batting out of the No. 6 spot to close out August, but both Adam Duvall and Travis d'Arnaud have since moved ahead of him in the lineup.

Mateo went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 7-3 win over Kansas City.

The speedy infielder has been a solid addition to Baltimore's lineup since he was claimed off waivers in early August. Mateo has gone just 5-for-8 in stolen base attempts with his new team, but he's also posted a .292/.343/.448 slash line with a pair of home runs, eight RBI, eight runs scored, a triple and seven doubles. He's gotten on base in seven straight games and should continue to see a regular role in the middle infield.