MLB Player News

Ahmed (hip) is expected to receive a cortisone shot, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

After having a second examination, Ahmed's initial diagnosis of having a hip impingement was confirmed. More information as to when he'll be activated from the DL should be known after he receives the cortisone injection. In the meantime, Chris Owings will continue to start at shortstop for the Diamondbacks.

Baez is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Angels, Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald reports.

After seeing action in 34 consecutive games, Baez will now be held out of the starting lineup for the second game in the Cubs' last three. His recent struggles at the plate could be a reason, as he's managed just three hits in his last 26 at-bats (.115) to go along with 13 strikeouts. Ben Zobrist is replacing him at second Tuesday, batting fourth.

Bogaerts is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Yankees.

Brock Holt will get the start at shortstop Tuesday as Bogaerts gets his first off day since June 28. Bogaerts has struggled at the dish of late, slashing .207/.250/.379 over the last two weeks and .143/.167/.143 over the last week. The hope is that Tuesday's off day will allow the star shortstop to refocus and get back on track for the stretch run.

Urena is enjoying a breakout year, slashing .311/.354/.458 over 97 games with Single-A Dunedin and five contests with Double-A New Hampshire.

After Urena averaged 22 errors over the last four seasons, a priority entering the season was to sharpen his concentration and throwing mechanics at shortstop. "The coaching staff has really made a lot of positive strides with him in terms of his footwork to and through ground balls," Jays' Director of Player Development Gil Kim said. "That focus and concentration extended to the batter's box. That was the biggest area of focus and subsequent improvement." Urena is the organization's No. 2 prospect (No. 78 overall) and should be on the fantasy radar for owners in dynasty formats looking ahead to the future.

Crawford had a day to remember at the plate on Monday, going 7-for-8 with two RBI and a run scored against the Marlins.

Crawford's seven-hit night raised his batting average a full 13 points in one game. The seven hits are more than he had come up with in his previous 11 games combined. He set a new San Francisco Giants single-game record with the seven-hit day. Crawford has 35 extra-base hits on the season, including 10 home runs, to go along with 70 RBI.

O'Malley is out of the lineup Monday against the Tigers, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.

O'Malley will have the night off as the Mariners opt to start Mike Freeman at shortstop. Over the last seven days, O'Malley has shown improvement from his subpar performance at the plate, going 5-for-19 with two home runs.

Sardinas was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday, MLB.com's Greg Johns reports.

He'll be replaced on the 25-man roster by Mike Freeman, who will serve in a similar utility role off the bench. Sardinas has registered a .181 batting average across 77 plate appearances with the Mariners this season.

Baez is in the lineup Sunday against the Athletics.

Baez will get the nod to start at second base as Ben Zobrist moves out to right field for Sunday's contest. Baez has struggled mightily in recent outings, going just 2-for-22 with 12 strikeouts over the last seven days.

Cecchini went 4-for-5 at the plate Saturday and is now 11 for his last 18, upping his average to .324 on the season.

Cecchini has moved from a defense first shortstop to one whose bat likely should play in the majors, though part of his explosion has to be discounted due to the thin air in Las Vegas. He still is manning shortstop. but the trade of Dilson Herrera to Cincinnati could result in moving Cecchini to second base to see if he can play the position.

O'Malley hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning Saturday to help the Mariners rally past the Angels, 8-6

It was the second home run in three games for O'Malley, who is holding down shortstop with Ketel Marte on the disabled list. He's started 15 games since the All-Star break, batting .279 with a .353 OBP, .779 OPS and two stolen bases in addition to his pair of home runs. Marte, who hasn't played since July 17, is expected to return soon, at which time O'Malley likely will return to his super-utility role.