MLB Player News

Diaz (back) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Diaz was removed from Tuesday's game due to back spasms and will remain sidelined for the series finale while Gift Ngoepe fills in at short. Looking ahead, Diaz will receive another day off due to Toronto's scheduled break Thursday before the clubs begins a series against the Rangers. Consider Diaz day-to-day for the time being.

Crawford went 0-for-2 before being removed as part of a double-switch in Tuesday's loss to the Mariners.

There was no injury to report here, as manager Bruce Bochy simply wanted to get one of his regulars out of a game that the Giants were trailing 6-1. Crawford's bat hasn't made the trip from spring training yet, batting just .188 (3-for-17) with no extra-base hits or counting stats through the club's first five contests. The 31-year-old has been a premier source of RBI as a shortstop over the past few seasons, and he has been batting either fifth or sixth this season, so fantasy owners should remain patient with the slugging shortstop.

Ahmed was sick Tuesday, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic Arizona reports.

The illness explains why Ahmed is out of the lineup for two games in a row. The Diamondbacks will want to get him back in action soon, as they're already down one infielder with Jake Lamb on the disabled list with a shoulder strain.

Gordon went 3-for-5 with a pair of stolen bases and a run in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Giants.

It was the quintessential line for a quintessential leadoff hitter, and it extended Gordon's season-opening hitting streak to a modest four games. The 29-year-old dynamo already has a pair of multi-hit outings as well during that stretch, while his two swipes broke the ice in that category for him in 2018. Fantasy owners and the Mariners alike undoubtedly hope that Tuesday's production is a microcosm of what Gordon frequently brings to the table this season; given his body of work dating back to spring training, that's an increasingly conceivable notion.

Ahmed is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Dodgers.

Ahmed sat Tuesday as well. Ketel Marte will again slide over to shortstop, with Daniel Descalso at second and Deven Marrero receiving another start at third. There have been no reports that Ahmed is dealing with an injury, and there are no platoon factors at play, as the Diamondbacks have faced lefties in both games. It appears that the team is just giving Ahmed a pair of off days in a row.

Correa is out of the lineup against the Orioles on Wednesday, Hunter Atkins of The Houston Chronicle reports.

Correa will receive an expected day off after suffering a minor toe injury during Monday's outing. There shouldn't be any concern over his status since Correa was able to play Tuesday, but manager A.J. Hinch will take it easy on his shortstop with a scheduled off-day on tap prior to Friday's series opener against San Diego. In his place, Marwin Gonzalez will take over at short while J.D. Davis draws a start at first.

Ahmed is hoping that improved pitch selection and a swing path change will allow his hot offensive start to continue, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

He is working on not swinging at sinkers down and in or breaking balls down and away, which tend to lead to weak groundballs. Instead he is focusing on waiting for pitches that he can do damage on. "I think in the past I've probably not locked in a specific zone as much as I should and chased more of the pitchers' pitches, either on the corners or down and out of the zone," Ahmed said. His swing path has also evolved. He has worked with several hitting coaches and gurus recently to try to generate more balls in the air in the middle of the field. So far his production fits the narrative, as he is hitting .471 (.538 BABIP) with one home run and a 3:2 K:BB through 19 plate appearances. Of course, his career .230 batting average in 1,039 plate appearances looms as a reminder that this could very easily just be the result of good luck in a small sample size. However, it's at least not impossible, given his reported changes to his approach, that we could be witnessing a breakout.

Swanson is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Nationals.

After a nightmarish 2017 campaign, Swanson has opened the current season on a much better note, producing three multi-hit games in his first five starts. That strong performance at the dish will keep him locked in as the Braves' everyday shortstop, but Swanson will get a breather in the day game after a night game, opening up a spot in the lineup for Charlie Culberson.

Anderson went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, three runs scored and two stolen bases in Tuesday's 14-5 loss to the Blue Jays.

Anderson has been a completely different player this season after a near season-long struggle in 2017 after the preseason death of a close friend. At the beginning of 2018, Anderson is hitting .375 (6-for-16) with three home runs, four RBI, six runs and three stolen bases.

Correa went 2-for-2 with an inside-the-park home run, three RBI, three runs and a walk, helping Houston to a 10-6 win over Baltimore on Tuesday.

Correa exited Houston's game on Monday with discomfort in his toe, but any concern over that was alleviated with Tuesday's inside-the-park homer that forced him to sprint full-speed around the bases. He's off to a rip-roaring start to 2018, hitting .474 with a .522 on base percentage through his first 19 at-bats, and it's scary to think that he's talented enough to improve on a brilliant 2017 that saw him slash .315/.391/.550.