MLB Player News

Ahmed went 2-for-4 with a double, stolen base, two runs and two RBI in Wednesday's 8-6 win over the White Sox.

Ahmed entered the lineup for the third time in four games with manager Torey Lovullo giving outfielder David Peralta the day off and turned in his fourth two-hit effort of the month. Though Ahmed doesn't have a direct line to an everyday role, the versatility of Chris Owings allows Lovullo to jostle his lineup as matchups warrant, enabling Ahmed to pick up a handful of starts per week. In addition to giving the Diamondbacks a dependable glove in the middle infield when he starts, Ahmed has also made himself a tougher out at the plate after routinely struggling to provide an offensive impact in his first three seasons in the big leagues. Ahmed's .725 OPS is up 161 points from 2016 and is 91 points better than his career-best mark.

Baez is batting eighth and playing shortstop Thursday against the Giants.

Baez is filling in for the scuffling Addison Russell but slides down the order -- compared to leadoff Wednesday -- against right-hander Jeff Samardzija due to his handedness. Still, Baez is 8-for-13 with two home runs and eight RBI in his last four starts, which explains why manager Joe Maddon wants to keep him active.

Diaz went 1-for-3 with a double, two walks and a run in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Dodgers.

The surging shortstop extended his current hitting streak to a modest four games and has now racked up four doubles in his last three contests. Although he's hit only one home run in May after smacking four in the season's opening month, Diaz's line drive rate has shot up from April's 9.6 percent to 23.4 percent, a pivotal factor in his .313/.364/.425 line over the last 19 games.

Turner went 1-for-4 with a run scored, an RBI and two stolen bases in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Mariners.

The 23-year-old may finally be snapping out of his early-season slump, as Turner now has six hits, four runs, four RBI and three steals in his last five games. His .242/.269/.409 slash line marks him as one of the biggest disappointments of 2017 so far given the preseason hype that accompanied him, but there's still plenty of time for Turner to turn things around.

Swanson is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Pirates, MLB.com reports.

Swanson has emerged as one of the hottest hitters in the Braves' lineup lately, but he'll hit the bench for rest purposes following a 15-game string of starts, during which he hit .308/.403/.500. The Braves are already beginning to fall out of the playoff race just under two months into the season, but even if the team starts selling off pieces as the trade deadline approaches, Swanson's fantasy outlook shouldn't suffer as a result. He's viewed as a cornerstone piece for the rebuilding Braves.

Story will start at shortstop and bat seventh Wednesday against the Phillies, Ben Harris of Phillies.com reports.

Story was activated from the disabled list ahead of Tuesday's contest but didn't see the field. The Rockies were likely just being cautious in holding Story out, so now that he's back in action Wednesday, the 24-year-old looks primed to assume an everyday role going forward, despite his rough start to the season. Alexi Amarista and Pat Valaika will see their at-bats fall by the wayside with Story in the fold.

Correa (illness) is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Tigers.

Although the Astros insisted that the young shortstop was available Tuesday night despite not starting, he continues to be held out of action Wednesday. Consider Correa day-to-day while Martin Gonzalez fills in for him at shortstop.

Baez will man second base and lead off for the Cubs in Wednesday's game against the Giants.

Baez tore it up in the series opener Monday when lefty Ty Blach started for the Giants, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. With another lefty on the hill Wednesday in Matt Moore, manager Joe Maddon will reward Baez with an assignment at the top of the order. The versatile infielder still doesn't have a clear path to an everyday role, but he should be a mainstay in the lineup against southpaws.

Sardinas was claimed off waivers by the Orioles on Wednesday.

After failing to beat out Erick Aybar for the starting shortstop role during spring training, Sardinas languished while seeing irregular duties off the bench, slashing .163/.226/.163 in 53 plate appearances before the Padres elected to drop him from the 40-man roster. The Orioles evidently still believe there's still some untapped potential in the 24-year-old, who at the very least, should give the team some extra depth at multiple spots around the diamond. He could replace Paul Janish as the club's utility infielder.

Lindor went 1-for-4 with a home run, a walk and two runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Reds.

With the first-inning long ball against Amir Garrett, Lindor reached double-digit home runs for the season and extended his hitting streak to nine games. Lindor's average is still a bit lower than many expected (.274) and he's not running much at all, but his power output and tallies in the counting stats have kept him among the fantasy elite at the shortstop position.