MLB Player News

Cruz (ankle) is starting at shortstop and batting third Sunday against the Giants, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Cruz was held out of the lineup Saturday after he tweaked his ankle in Friday's series opener, but he's back in the starting nine Sunday. The 25-year-old is without a home run since April 13 and has a .205/.286/.250 slash line and 38.8 percent strikeout rate during that 13-game stretch.

Caballero is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Caballero will head to the bench Sunday after he posted a .217/.250/.370 slash line and 26.5 percent strikeout rate while starting the previous 12 games. Amed Rosario will shift to shortstop and bat third.

DeJong is not in the lineup for Sunday's game versus Tampa Bay.

DeJong started the previous six contests but will take a seat Sunday after he went 3-for-22 with 11 strikeouts during that stretch. Braden Shewmake will start at shortstop and bat ninth.

Single-A Lakeland reinstated McGonigle (hamstring) from its 7-day injured list Tuesday.

McGonigle missed about two weeks of action to begin the season while recovering from a left hamstring strain, but the injury hasn't inhibited him since he made his return less than a week ago. The infielder has gone 5-for-11 with two doubles, three walks, two runs, two RBI and three stolen bases in four games since returning to the lineup.

Baez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Royals.

Baez started the previous seven games but will sit Sunday after he posted a .641 OPS during that stretch. Zach McKinstry will step in at shortstop for the series finale versus Kansas City.

Allen is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.

For the second time in three games, Allen will hit the bench against a right-handed starting pitcher (Albert Suarez) while Darell Hernaiz checks in for him at shortstop. Allen is the more established big-league player of the two shortstops, but given that he posted a lowly .550 OPS over 329 plate appearances in 2023 and is off to an even worse start in 2024 (.490 OPS In 73 plate appearances), the Athletics could be motivated to give the rookie Hernaiz an extended look at the position.

Seager went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 8-4 loss to the Reds.

Seager, who was not in the original starting lineup for Saturday's game, was a late addition. The home run was his second of the season. Seager's off to a slow start, slashing .247/.336/.330 over 110 plate appearances, which is perhaps disappointing from a player that finished second in AL MVP voting last season. However, it's also understandable when considering Seager underwent offseason hernia surgery and missed all but the final week of spring training.

Alexander went 1-for-2 with a walk, double and run scored in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Seattle.

Alexander walked with two outs in the eighth inning and came around to score Arizona's lone run on Jake McCarthy's triple. The rookie shortstop has hit safely in six of the last seven contests, going 9-for-24 with six extra-base hits, nine RBI and four runs over that stretch. Alexander's bat has played well, but defense could cost him opportunities. He ranks last among shortstops with minus-7 outs above average and minus-5 runs prevented.

Henderson went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a second run scored and a stolen base in Saturday's 7-0 win over the A's.

The 22-year-old shortstop capped the scoring on the afternoon by taking JP Sears deep in the seventh inning. The long ball was Henderson's third in the last four games, continuing a blistering stretch that has seen him rack up eight multi-hit performances in his last 12 contests while batting .408 (20-for-49). The surge has boosted Henderson's slash line on the season to .302/.361/.642 with nine homers, six steals, 22 RBI and 23 runs in 106 plate appearances.

Betts went 3-for-5 with a triple, a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Blue Jays.

The 31-year-old extended his current hitting streak to seven games with his fourth straight multi-hit performance, and he also swiped a bag for the third straight contest. Betts is having a monster start to the season, slashing .391/.489/.661 through 115 plate appearances with six homers, eight steals, 23 RBI and 29 runs, and while it's early, he's firmly on pace for the second 30-30 campaign of his career.