MLB Player News

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.

Arcia is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

Arcia owns a .276 on-base percentage for the season, but his performance had been trending up of late, as he came into Wednesday riding a four-game hitting streak. However, with manager Craig Counsell eager to find at-bats for the red-hot Eric Sogard until he cools, Arcia will take a seat during the day game to make room for the veteran in the lineup.

Gordon went 3-for-6 with a triple, a run scored, two RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 11-9 win over the A's.

With trade rumors beginning to circle every Marlins player who doesn't have a $325 million contract, Gordon's recent surge can't hurt his value on the open market as the second baseman is slashing .357/.419/.464 over his last seven games.

Pennington started at third and batted ninth against the Rays on Tuesday, going 1-for-3 with a walk in a 4-0 victory.

With the surprising news of C.J. Cron's demotion to the minors Monday, playing time opened up on the infield for Pennington. The veteran could earn a few extra starts at the hot corner until Yunel Escobar (hamstring) returns from the disabled list. The 32-year-old currently owns a slugging percentage that is equal to his batting average (.271), so a temporary boost in playing time is unlikely to make waves in fantasy circles.

Correa is sitting out of Tuesday's contest with the Tigers due to an illness, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Manager A.J. Hinch noted that Correa still may be available to play later in the game, so it doesn't seem like this issue is too severe. Consider the stud shortstop day-to-day for the time being. Marwin Gonzalez will take over at shortstop in his stead.

Owings is not in the lineup Tuesday against the White Sox.

Owings will head to the bench after starting each of the last eight games for the Diamondbacks. The 25-year-old is enjoying a nice start to the season offensively, slashing .323/.359/.484 with five homers and nine stolen bases through 161 at-bats. Nick Ahmed will draw the start at shortstop in his stead.

Correa is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Tigers.

Correa has just three hits in his past 20 at-bats, so he'll get a night off Tuesday to right the ship. Marwin Gonzalez will move into the lineup to replace him at shortstop.

Story (shoulder) is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Phillies, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

While Story was activated from the disabled list ahead of Tuesday's contest with the Phillies, Alexi Amarista will draw the start at shortstop over him. The Rockies are likely being cautious with the 24-year-old, so look for him to slot back into the lineup for Wednesday's contest.