MLB Player News

Pena is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game in Baltimore, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It's just the third day off all season for Pena and his first since June 21. Mauricio Dubon will handle shortstop duties for the Astros in the series opener while Pena gets some rest.

Walls will start at shortstop and bat seventh in Thursday's game against the Athletics.

Though he appeared to be at risk of moving into more of a part-time role when the Rays recalled infielder Junior Caminero from Triple-A Durham on Aug. 13, Walls still looks to be the team's top option at shortstop. Walls will pick up his fifth start in six games Thursday, while Jose Caballero has instead taken the bigger hit from a playing-time perspective following the arrival of Caminero. Caballero boasts the better fantasy profile of the two players thanks to his willingness to run (35 steals in 48 attempts this season), but the Rays seem to place greater value on Walls' defense at shortstop.

Wilson (hamstring) played seven innings at shortstop and a full game at DH in Triple-A Las Vegas' games against Reno on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, going a combined 2-for-6 with an RBI, two walks and a run.

All of Wilson's offensive contributions in that span came in the latter contest, and he's now hitting .364 (4-for-11) over his four-game rehab stint. Wilson is slated to play again for the Aviators on Thursday and could potentially put in a full nine innings on defense for the first time during his time with Las Vegas.

Sweeney is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.

With a lefty (Justin Steele) on the hill for the Cubs, the lefty-hitting Sweeney will hit the bench as Javier Baez picks up the start at shortstop. Sweeney should still receive the bulk of the opportunities at shortstop down the stretch as he looks to stake a claim to a full-time role with the big club heading into 2025. Since getting promoted from Triple-A Toledo last Friday, Sweeney has gone 2-for-11 with a home run and two RBI over his first three big-league games.

Hamilton went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Astros.

Hamilton provided insurance with a home run in the ninth inning. The blast was his second in the last four games and eighth of the season. Hamilton is having a strong month, logging a .939 OPS with seven extra-base hits, nine RBI, six steals and eight runs scored over 15 games.

De La Cruz went 3-for-4 with a walk, a home run, three RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's 11-7 win over Toronto.

De La Cruz's fifth-inning steal was his 60th of the season, making him just the fifth player since 1900 to record at least 20 home runs and steal 60 bases in a season -- a club that Ronald Acuna (knee) joined last season and which also includes Hall of Famers Rickey Henderson and Joe Morgan, as well as former Reds star Eric Davis. De La Cruz later belted a solo home run in the eighth inning, his 22nd of the year. The 22-year-old was sitting at 59 steals for the previous 11 games, a stretch during which he went 6-for-42 with a .196 OBP.

Perdomo went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, an additional run and a double in Wednesday's 10-8 win against Miami.

Perdomo entered Wednesday with just one homer through 63 games, but he displayed some unexpected power to provide an insurance run with a solo blast in the eighth inning. The long ball was the infielder's first extra-base hit of any sort over his past 10 games, though he's been reaching base consistently of late with six hits and three walks across his past 20 plate appearances. Perdomo's overall .281 batting average on the campaign is on pace for a career-best mark.

Henderson went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Mets.

Henderson had gone 38 games without a steal, and he had just one attempt in that span. The shortstop is up to 15 thefts on 17 attempts this season. He's batting .293 (22-for-75) in August and now has a .287/.374/.555 slash line with 33 home runs, 78 RBI, 100 runs scored, 23 doubles and six triples over 126 contests this season.

Winn went 3-for-6 with one RBI and one run scored in Wednesday's 10-6 extra-inning win over the Brewers.

This was Winn's third multi-hit effort over his last six games, a stretch that follows a three-game slump. The shortstop is batting .264 (19-for-72) with four home runs and four doubles over 17 contests in August. He's up to a .277/.326/.419 slash line with 11 home runs, 10 stolen bases, 44 RBI and 60 runs scored over 117 games this season while continuing to thrive as the Cardinals' leadoff hitter.

McKinstry went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Cubs.

McKinstry notched a steal in his second straight game, but this was his first start in three contests. He's put together a decent August, going 13-for-45 (.289) across 15 games while adding three steals and four RBI. The 29-year-old is at a .199/.259/.320 slash line with 11 steals, three home runs, 19 RBI and 25 runs scored across 251 plate appearances for the year.