MLB Player News

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.

Cruz isn't in Pittsburgh's lineup Saturday against the Giants after tweaking his ankle during Friday's game, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Cruz hurt his ankle after sliding into third base during the ninth inning of Friday's game, and it is apparently bothering him enough to warrant a day off Saturday. While he recovers, Alika Williams will start at shortstop and bat ninth.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Seager will start at shortstop for Saturday's game against the Reds, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Seager left Wednesday's game against the Mariners after taking a pitch off his shin, and he played one game at DH before returning to shortstop in the series opener against the Reds on Friday. Seager was initially set to take Saturday off, but Bochy has reinserted the 30-year-old back into the starting lineup. With Seager at shortstop, Josh Smith will shift to third base while Ezequiel Duran will move to the bench.

Seager is not in the Rangers' starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Reds.

Seager will begin Saturday's game in the dugout as he gets a rest day for the first time since April 15. Since then, Seager has gone 6-for-37 with one run and one RBI. Josh Smith will start at shortstop and Ezequiel Duran at third base against Reds right-hander Hunter Greene.

Arcia went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-2 win over the Guardians.

The shortstop crushed a Pedro Avila two-seamer over the fence in left-center field, giving Atlanta its last offense of the night in the eighth inning. Arcia has both his homers on the year in the last nine games, and he's slashing .311/.340/.478 through 97 plate appearances with nine RBI and 12 runs as he proves his 2023 resurgence was no fluke.

Seager started at shortstop and went 1-for-4 in Friday's 2-1 win over the Reds.

Seager, who was removed from a game Wednesday after getting hit by a pitch on the shin, has played in both games since. He served as the DH on Thursday before returning to the field Friday.

De La Cruz went 0-for-2 with two walks, stole two bases and scored a run in Cincinnati's loss to Texas on Friday.

Despite not being able to tally a base hit during Friday's game, De La Cruz was able to make his presence felt by drawing a walk in the first inning and eventually stealing home to score Cincinnati's first and only run of the game. He walked again and stole second base in the fifth inning, giving him an MLB-best 17 thefts on the season. Along with his exceptional baserunning, the 22-year-old infielder has been outstanding at the plate, slashing .299/.419/.621 with seven homers and 18 RBI through his first 105 plate appearances.

Newman started at shortstop and went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-1 loss to Seattle.

Newman homered for the second time in the last three games. He's started four straight and six of the last seven, more opportunities than had been expected for him when his contract was selected earlier this month. A combination of Geraldo Perdomo's knee injury and a Blaze Alexander's brief hamstring absence contributed to the spike in play. Alexander returned to action Wednesday and should get the bulk of starts at shortstop until Perdomo is ready, although Newman's defense has been better than Alexander's thus far. Newman is batting .186 (8-for-43) with a walk, two doubles, two homers and eight RBI over 14 games.

Neto went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI in Friday's loss to Minnesota.

Neto doubled and scored in the sixth inning and later added an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth. After producing just two multi-hit efforts through his first 21 games, the second-year shortstop has collected multiple hits in three of his last four games. He still has plenty of work to do, but his season OPS has jumped from .449 to .646 during this recent hot streak.

General manager Justin Hollander said Friday that Crawford (oblique) likely won't be activated from the injured list when he's eligible May 5, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Crawford was placed on the injured list Thursday with a Grade 1 oblique strain -- the least severe type of strain -- though it appears the 29-year-old shortstop is still facing an extended absence. Hollander didn't provide an exact timeline for Crawford's return, but a 2-to-3 week absence seems to be the best possible scenario.