MLB Player News

Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts is not in the team's starting lineup Saturday.

It's the first game Bogaerts has missed all season. He's hitting .271 in 59 at-bats. Bogaerts will be replaced by Jonathan Herrera at short.

Padres infielder Ryan Jackson may not need surgery after all, as MLB.com reports he has been diagnosed with a just a strain in his right wrist. It was previously reported that he would need surgery on the wrist, though further examination was needed, which he received via the team's doctors in San Diego.

Jackson is on the seven-day disabled list at Triple-A El Paso, and there is no timetable for his expected return.  

A pair of injured Giants are back in the lineup, as expected, for Friday's game against the Padres. Shortstop Brandon Crawford (hamstring) and outfielder Angel Pagan (knee) are starting Friday's game, after both sat out Thursday's due to minor injuries. Crawford had also missed Wednesday's game as a result of the injury, though his return to the lineup does not come as a surprise. 

The impending return of Shane Victorino from the disabled list will provide John Farrell intriguing lineup options.

Victorino will almost certainly be plugged back into the second hole, but Farrell might place emerging Xander Bogaerts into the leadoff spot rather than move him down. That would result in Dustin Pedroia batting third.

That lineup would give the Red Sox a right-left-right configuration at the top of the order that Farrell covets, according to ESPN.

Bogaerts has earned consideration to take over the leadoff spot with an on-base percentage of .397.

It took 16 games, but Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts finally put one over the fences Thursday night against the White Sox.

Bogaerts took Chicago ace deep in the sixth inning for a solo home run. He finished 1 for 3 with one run scored and one RBI in a 3-1 win. He is hitting .268/.397/.357 with two RBI in 56 at-bats.

Padres infielder Ryan Jackson would be a possible call-up option if Chase Headley has to go on the disabled list with a bicep injury, but MLB.com reports he is dealing with an injury of his own.

Jackson, who is with Triple-A El Paso, has a wrist injury that looks like it will require surgery, according to the report. He is set to report to the team's training staff for examination this week before a decision is ultimately made.  A possible timeline for his recovery is not yet known.

Jackson was hitting .214/.267/.286 prior to the injury for El Paso. He appeared in 20 games at the major-league level over the previous two season with the Cardinals. 

Giants infielder Brandon Crawford was out of the lineup yet again Thursday due to a hamstring injury, but was able to appear as a pinch-hitter, a sign he is nearing a return. Crawford took groundballs and stretched before the game, and appeared in the game in the ninth inning, flying out to left in his lone plate appearance. 

A hamstring injury will keep Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford out for the second straight game Thursday against the Dodgers.

Crawford had been on a tear before the injury knocked him out. He remains on a seven-game hitting streak during which he has 10 hits in 25 at-bats with four runs and seven RBI. He boasts an impressive stat line of .318/.407/.545.

Nationals infielder Zach Walters hit his first major-league home run Tuesday against the Marlins, and he didn't wait long to hit his second. Walters put the Nationals up for good in a 6-3 win, with a pinch-hit home run to left off Mike Dunn to open the eighth inning.

Walters has appeared in three games as a sub since joining the team, and has two hits in four at-bats, both home runs.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers, due to tightness in his right hamstring. He suffered the injury after attempting to bunt in the team's previous game, but does not consider it a serious issue.

Crawford told the San Francisco Chronicle he is available off the bench Wednesday and hopes to be back in the starting lineup in time for Thursday's series finale.