MLB Player News

Owings started at third base and finished 1-for-3 with a stolen base in the Diamondbacks' 2-1 loss to the Cubs on Wednesday.

Owings drew the rare start at the hot corner with top option Jake Lamb moving to the bench due to a lefty (Jon Lester) starting for the Cubs. The utility man was able to contribute in the run game and has now notched nine steals in 12 attempts on the season, but that's about the only positive achievement in his profile from a fantasy perspective. Owings is under the Mendoza Line for the campaign and maintains a .547 OPS, his worst mark since breaking into the big leagues in 2013.

Fletcher went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored in Wednesday's 11-3 win over the White Sox.

Fletcher got a rare start at second base while Ian Kinsler received a day of rest. The rookie has started 11 consecutive games for the Halos, but a good chunk of those starts was due to Albert Pujols' stay on the disabled list. With the latter back in action, Fletcher will have to outplay Luis Valbuena at the hot corner in order to continue his recent run of playing time.

Crawford went 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to Seattle.

Crawford's production has really tailed off after his stellar month of June, as he is slashing a meager .162/.269/.206 with just three extra-base hits in 76 July plate appearances. The shortstop currently sports a career-high .338 BABIP, so a dip in batting average was to be expected. Crawford still owns a healthy .284/.354/.447 slash line on the year, so his fantasy owners are hoping that Wednesday's extra-base hit ignites his hibernating bat.

Diaz (thumb) will get the nod at shortstop and bat ninth Wednesday against the Twins, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Diaz had been day-to-day with a left thumb injury, but he appears to be good to go as he'll return to the lineup for the series finale. He missed the last two games due to the issue. The 27-year-old is hitting .254 with nine homers and 25 RBI through 73 games in 2018.

Turner will bat seventh and start at shortstop Wednesday against the Brewers, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Turner was left out of Tuesday's starting lineup after failing to run to first base following a bunt attempt during Monday's game. He did enter the game as a pinch runner, but got caught stealing after breaking for second base a little too early. Across 100 games this year, he's hitting .263/.338/.401 with 12 home runs, 40 RBI and 22 stolen bases.

Baez (upper leg) is out of the lineup against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Baez is dealing with a bruise above his knee that he suffered during Tuesday's game when he slid into second base in the seventh inning. It doesn't appear as though this issue should sideline Baez for any additional time, but manager Joe Maddon could elect to hold him out of Thursday's series finale if there is no improvement. In his place, Ben Zobrist will start at second base and bat third Wednesday.

Arcia went 3-for-6 with a double and an RBI in a game with Triple-A Colorado Springs on Tuesday.

The Brewers sent Arcia to Triple-A to find his swing, and he has done just that, hitting .346/.424/.494 through 21 games with Colorado Springs. It's not clear how much longer the Brewers will keep him in the minors, but the big club has missed his defense at shortstop in his absence, so it might not be long.

D'Arnaud started at third base and went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Tuesday's victory over the Mariners.

D'Arnaud has started six of the 11 games since his callup June 8, batting .300 (9-for-30) with a pair of homers over that span. The utility infielder has been seeing semi-regular starts due to the slew of lefties the Giants have faced recently, but that surge in playing time is about to come to a close with Evan Longoria (hand) nearing a return.

Baez has a bruise above his knee but hopes to play against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Baez sustained the bruise when he was slid into second base during the seventh inning. The injury doesn't appear overly serious, but it wouldn't be surprising if the 25-year-old was held out of the lineup Wednesday to help mitigate any residual soreness.

Diaz was unavailable Tuesday with a left thumb injury and is considered day-to-day, the Associated Press reports.

It was a bit odd that Diaz had missed two straight games, as he is hitting .289/.304/.489 with two home runs in 15 games (45 at-bats) this month, so the fact he is dinged up clears things up. Lourdes Gurriel is the hottest hitter on the team, so when Diaz is ready to return, he will likely compete primarily with Devon Travis and Yangervis Solarte for at-bats in the short term.