MLB Player News

Indians first baseman Nick Swisher and left fielder Zach Walters are both expected to start minor league injury rehab assignments this week, according to the Northeast Ohio Media Group.

Swisher started the season on the 15-day disabled list after having surgery on both knees. Walters is on the 15-day DL for an oblique injury. 

Swisher and Walters will both play for Triple-A Columbus on injury rehab. Walters will begin his rehab assignment Wednesday. 

Orioles pitcher Wei-Yin Chen has surrendered a .323 batting average to current Red Sox hitters, masnsports.com reports.

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has collected more hits against Chen than anyone in the lefty pitcher's career, going 14 for 27 with a .519/.567/.778 line. Designated hitter David Ortiz is 8 for 21 with a home run, right fielder Shane Victorino is 4 for 10 with a home run and shortstop Xander Bogaerts is 3 for 10 with a home run against Chen. All four are in the starting lineup Monday, as are first baseman Mike Napoli, who's just 3 for 17 against Chen but with two home runs, and catcher Ryan Hanigan, who's 1 for 9 with a home run against the pitcher.

The Orioles are underdogs (+110) against the Red Sox in Boston Monday.

Mets left fielder Michael Cuddyer and shortstop Wilmer Flores are not in the starting lineup for Sunday's matchup with the Marlins.

It's just the second time on the bench this season for both players. Kirk Nieuwenhuis will bat seventh and play left field, while Ruben Tejada will bat eighth and play shortstop. The break for both starters comes even though the team is also off Monday.

"You've just got to understand that we've still got 150 to go, and we need those guys to stay as healthy as you can," manager Terry Collins said before the game, per ESPN New York.

The Mets are heavy favorites (-200) against the Marlins Sunday.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford went 1 for 4 at the plate in San Francisco's 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks Saturday. 

Crawford did his damage in the fourth inning when he ripped the first pitch he saw from Rubby De La Rosa over the right field wall, driving in Gregor Blanco. His home run came on a changeup, a pitch he seeing more frequently this season, MLB.com reports.

"I've been making the adjustment to be able to hit those pitches," Crawford said.

It was Crawford's third home run of the year and now has eight RBI with a .163 average.

The Marlins lost again Saturday night, but don't blame leadoff hitter Dee Gordon. All he did was go 5-for-5 and drive in three of their four runs.

Gordon doubled and added four singles, including one in the ninth inning that scored two runs and cut the deficit to 5-4. He sweetened his slash line to an impressive .400/.415/.520 along the way.

He is now 14-for-29 with seven RBI over his last seven games.

Diamondbacks second baseman Chris Owings produced his first multi-hit game of the season Friday against the Giants, producing what he hopes is the spark of an offensive outburst, reports MLB.com.

"A lot of good stuff happened last night," Owings said. "It was one of those nights to kind of get out there and relax a little bit. I put a lot of pressure on myself and I just kind of watched guys have some good ABs and just tried to do the same thing and not try to do too much up there."

Owings is hitting just .152 in 33 at-bats this season, but manager Chip Hale knows he will figure it out eventually.

"We knew he could hit," Hale said. "He knows he could hit. He never let it bother his defense, which is huge for me and the team. Hopefully that'll get him going a little bit numbers-wise. But he's had good at-bats and he's going to keep battling."

Though early-season statistics can be skewed, those registered by Red Sox young shortstop Xander Bogaerts in 2015 compared to the numbers he recorded last year jump off the page. And there are several reasons for it.

Bogaerts sweetened his stat line to .395/.452/.474 with a 2-for-4 performance Friday night, which included a game-winning single that made him the youngest Boston player to slam a walk-off hit since Jim Rice in 1975. Not bad considering he batted just .240 with a .297 on-base percentage a in 2014.

Among the reasons for his surge has been opposite-field hitting. He has hit more line drives and fly balls to right and with greater success, MLB.com is reporting. He hit .218 on balls hit to right a year ago, but is 6-for-13 going that way this season.

But perhaps the most significant improvement has been in regard to patience and discipline. John Farrell has certainly noticed.

"He's just been a little more relaxed at the plate, letting the ball travel a little bit deeper in the strike zone," Farrell said. "It's allowed him to use the whole field a little bit more, which is more the norm of what he's always been as a hitter. He's in a confident place right now."

Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts' one-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning pushed across Mike Napoli for the game winner Friday against the Orioles.

Bogaerts went 2 for 4 with a run scored in the game.

The two hits on the night lifted Bogaerts' batting average to .382, best among Red Sox starters.

"Yeah, because when you're going bad, you don't get anything," Bogaerts said when asked about balls falling in when you're hot.

Indians infielder Zach Walters (oblique) and first baseman Nick Swisher (knee) are close to being cleared to begin rehab assignments, reports MLB.com.

Indians manager Terry Francona said Walters could begin rehabbing in the next few days while Swisher is right behind him.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford took out a lot of frustration Thursday night at the plate with a two-run homer against Arizona that cut his team's deficit to 4-3. After all, he was hitless in his previous 24 at-bats.

Crawford, who also walked twice in the San Francisco defeat, managed to sweeten his slash line on the season to .167/.268/.333.