MLB Player News

Crawford will be called up by the Mariners on Friday, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.

Both Crawford and Shed Long are expected to earn promotions, with Dee Gordon and Dylan Moore each battling wrist issues. Crawford has a modest .214/.333/.358 line in 72 career big-league games but hit .255/.369/.479 (good for a 131 wRC+) over his last 42 games in 2018.

Velazquez was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Friday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Velazquez joined the Rays at the start of the week and went 0-for-1 while playing in two games. The 24-year-old is a good candidate to return to the majors at some point this season given his defensive versatility and .290/.347/.495 slash line at Durham.

Crawford was a late healthy scratch from Triple-A Tacoma's lineup Thursday and could be promoted if the wrist injury suffered by Dee Gordon against the Yankees causes him to miss time, Lauren Smith of The News Tribune reports.

Gordon was hit on the right wrist with a 90 mph fastball by Yankees southpaw J.A. Happ and was replaced by rookie Dylan Moore, who'd suffered the same fate Wednesday and was thus nursing a similar injury. With the pair of middle infielders hurting, the hot-hitting Crawford is a logical candidate for a callup if either or both players are set to miss time. The 24-year-old has reached safely in all 31 games with the Rainiers this season and boasts a .319/.420/.457 line that includes 10 extra-base hits (seven doubles, three home runs) and 15 RBI.

Gordon (wrist) will undergo further testing after his X-rays were inconclusive Thursday night, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Gordon left Thursday night's matchup after getting hit on the wrist by a pitch, and the Mariners still don't know the extent of his injury. J.P. Crawford was removed from Triple-A Tacoma's lineup following Gordon's injury, so a roster move could be in the works if Gordon does end up requiring a trip to the injured list.

Gordon was struck by a pitch on the right wrist and had to leave Thursday's game against the Yankees, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.

Gordon appeared to be in a lot of pain after getting drilled, and he's likely headed for X-rays. The second baseman will be considered day-to-day until the extent of the injury is revealed. Gordon was replaced at the keystone by Dylan Moore.

Story went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, two runs and a stolen base in the Rockies' 12-11 victory over the Giants on Thursday.

Story did his part on a huge day for the Colorado offense, slapping his seventh double of the season and swiping his eighth bag in 10 tries. He's slashing .267/.345/.493 with eight long balls through 146 at-bats and has remained one of the better cross-category assets at the position so far this season.

Seager is starting at shortstop and hitting sixth against the Nationals on Thursday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Seager hasn't hit as low as sixth since his rookie season of 2016, per Plunkett, but he'll drop in the order against left-hander Patrick Corbin in this contest. The shortstop hasn't gotten going at the dish so far in 2019, as he's slashing .235/.329/.356 through 132 at-bats, so manager Dave Roberts could continue to deploy him lower than usual until he shows signs of a breakout.

Gordon, who went 2-for-5 with an RBI single and a run in a win over the Yankees on Wednesday, is 7-for-14 with a home run, two RBI and two runs overall in the last three games.

The veteran infielder has three straight multi-hit efforts, and four overall in the first seven games of May. Gordon's season average currently sits at an impressive .304 and has seen a net gain of 21 points since April 25. What's more, through 149 plate appearances, all three components of Gordon's .304/.327/.406 slash line currently enjoy at least a 36-point improvement over that of his first Mariners campaign in 2018.

Rojas will start at shortstop and lead off Thursday against the Cubs, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Rojas usually bats in the bottom half of the order versus right-handed pitching, but he'll draw a plum assignment against Yu Darvish with normal leadoff hitter Curtis Granderson resting in the day game after a night game. No matter where in the lineup he's slotted in this season, Rojas has made little fantasy impact with a .259 average, zero home runs and one stolen base across 126 plate appearances.

Fletcher will start in left field and man the leadoff spot Thursday against the Tigers.

Fletcher will bat leadoff for the fifth consecutive game, with four of those starts coming against left-handed pitchers. It's worth noting that Fletcher's lone table-setting assignment versus a righty during that span came when Tommy La Stella was unavailable due to a back injury. Now healthy, La Stella will return from a four-game absence to serve as No. 9 hitter versus southpaw Ryan Carpenter, but it's unclear if La Stella will reclaim the leadoff gig the next time the Angels face a right-hander. With three straight two-hit performances, Fletcher may have given manager Brad Ausmus reason to commit to him on a full-time basis atop the lineup.