MLB Player News

Veteran Cliff Pennington has no set position, but Kirk Gibson has found a way to get him into the lineup virtually every day for the Diamondbacks. He has started at second, third and shortstop in the last six games.

Pennington has earned the playing time. He has at least one hit in each of those starts and is 10 for 25 during that stretch with eight runs scored and six walks. His .369 on-base percentage is at its highest point since May 5.

Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings will play in the Arizona League before beginning a rehab assignment with Triple-A Reno Friday, MLB.com reports.

Owings has been out since late June while recovering from a shoulder injury. He has hit .277/.313/.458 with six home runs, 21 RBI and seven stolen bases in 238 at-bats.

The Dodgers scored six runs Thursday in Atlanta. Second baseman and leadoff hitter Dee Gordon tallied four of them.

Gordon singled in the first, fifth and ninth innings and walked in the third. He crossed the plate after each of those visits to the basepaths. Not bad considering he'd scored just twice in his previous 10 games combined.

Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings will face live pitching Friday as part of his recovery from a shoulder injury that has prevented him from playing since late June.

Owings is still not expected to return to the field until September. "We're moving as fast as we can," Kirk Gibson told the Arizona Republic. "We can't rush it."

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said Sunday it's unlikely shortstop Chris Owings (shoulder) will be back before September, per FOX Sports Arizona. Owings has been out since late June.

The Indians recalled outfielder Tyler Holt and infielder Zach Walters from Triple-A Columbus. Holt batted .306 with two homers and 31 steals at Columbus, while Walters hit .310 with 17 homers and 56 RBI at the Triple-A level.

Bruce Bochy has taken slumping Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford out of the lineup Saturday and will do so again Sunday to clear his head, per the San Jose Mercury News.

Crawford has just two hits in his last 25 at-bats with 11 strikeouts in seven games. His average has fallen to a season-low .229.

It comes as no surprise that Wilmer Flores is starting ahead of Ruben Tejada on Friday night. The former has apparently supplanted the latter as the top shortstop with the Mets, per ESPN, following a conference between Terry Collins and general manager Sandy Alderson.

Flores has earned consistent playing time since late July, though he has not exactly sizzled at the plate. He has five hits in 21 at-bats without a multi-hit game during his recent stretch.

The Diamondbacks have demoted outfielder Roger Kieschnick and shortstop Nick Ahmed to Triple-A Reno.

Kieschnick, who was called up just last week, has just eight hits in 41 at-bats in stints with Arizona this season. Ahmed owns a weak stat line of .228/.254/.316 in the bigs in 2014.

Diamondbacks shortstop Chris Owings took 30-35 swings off a tee Thursday, according to MLB.com. Owings has been sidelined since June 25 with a shoulder injury and remains without a timetable moving forward.

"I'm starting to feel a lot better," Owings said. "It's just been a slow process. It's not been fun. But … time just hasn't been on our side. So I just have to wait it out."