MLB Player News

Swanson is out of Thursday's lineup against the Dodgers.

Ozzie Albies (hamstring) returns to action, but the Braves weren't quite ready to send Charlie Culberson to the bench, so he will slide over to shortstop, hitting sixth. Swanson is hitting .241/.323/.328 with one home run and two steals in 58 at-bats this month.

Wendle went 2-for-3 in a win over the Yankees on Wednesday.

Wendle has put together a well-rounded offensive effort in July, as his .367/.433/.617 line over 67 plate appearances is partly comprised of four doubles, a triple and three home runs. The 28-year-old has supplemented his solid offensive contributions with plenty of defensive versatility, logging time at second base, third base, shortstop and left field thus far in 2018.

Baez (upper leg) is not in the lineup against Arizona on Thursday.

Baez will remain out of the starting nine for the second straight day as he continues to recover from a bruise above his knee. He was able to join Wednesday's game as a pinch hitter and picked up a single before being replaced by a pinch runner. Manager Joe Maddon failed to comment whether he was just being precautious or if Baez suffered any sort of setback, but either way, the second baseman will take a seat for the series finale. In his place, David Bote will man Baez's position and bat ninth.

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.