MLB Player News

Downs is starting at shortstop and batting ninth Thursday against the Red Sox.

This is just the second start of any kind for Downs since the Nationals called him up from Triple-A Rochester on Aug. 3. The 25-year-old had struggled in the minors prior to that promotion and will have to take advantage of these limited opportunities in order to carve out more of a regular role for the stretch run.

Crawford (concussion) could be activated from the 7-day injured list ahead of Sunday's series finale in Houston, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

He landed on the 7-day IL last Friday, following a collision two days prior with teammate Eugenio Suarez. Crawford has shown steady improvement throughout this week and will soon report to High-A Everett for a quick minor-league rehab stint. Jose Caballero and Dylan Moore have been sharing starts at shortstop in his absence while Julio Rodriguez has been hitting leadoff.

Boston manager Alex Cora said Reyes will serve as the backup first baseman while Justin Turner plays through a bone bruise on his left heel, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Turner is limited to designated hitter duty for the time being, so Cora said Reyes will play first base whenever Triston Casas sits. Reyes has never played first base in the majors, but he's had a reliable bat of late, which the manager could use if needed. Reyes, who popped a two-run home run Wednesday, is batting .394 (13-for-33) with two home runs, three doubles, six RBI and seven runs scored over the last nine games.

Rojas went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 7-1 win over the Brewers.

Rojas has swatted all three of his homers this season over 15 games in August, though he's hitting a meager .233 for the month. His blast in the second inning Wednesday put the Dodgers ahead for good as they continue to roll. The shortstop is at a .220/.274/.297 slash line with 23 RBI, 36 runs scored and seven stolen bases through 92 contests.

Rocchio went 3-for-4 in Wednesday's 7-2 loss to the Reds.

Rocchio has multiple hits in three of his last seven games, though this was the first time he was in the lineup since Saturday. The shortstop is batting .288 with a .674 OPS, no home runs, four RBI, six runs scored and no stolen bases through 55 plate appearances. With Jose Tena optioned to Triple-A Columbus, Rocchio will compete with Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman for playing time at shortstop going forward.

McLain went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, three RBI and two steals in Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Guardians.

McLain opened the scoring Wednesday with an RBI double in the first inning before adding a two-run homer off Noah Syndergaard in the fourth. The 24-year-old shortstop would also add his 10th and 11th stolen bases in the contest. McLain's huge night snapped a brief slump -- he'd gone 5-for-32 (.156) over his previous eight games. He's now slashing .298/.363/.514 with 13 homers, 56 runs scored and 44 RBI through 358 plate appearances in an impressive rookie campaign.

Edman was removed from Wednesday's game against Oakland due to a right calf contusion.

Edman fouled a ball off his right leg during an at-bat in the fifth inning and ended up having to leave the game. It's possible the Cards keep Edman out of the lineup for a day or two to allow him to recover, but he seems to have avoided a serious injury.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that Mondesi (knee) has been shut down again, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Mondesi resumed baseball activities at the beginning of August and had recently advanced to facing live pitching, but his surgically-repaired left knee is apparently barking again. The 28-year-old speedster hasn't appeared in a game at any level this season, and time is running out for him to do so in 2023.

Anderson (neck) is back in the lineup Wednesday against the Cubs.

Anderson will start at shortstop and bat leadoff versus the Cubs and right-hander Javier Assad after being scratched Tuesday due to neck stiffness. He also missed some time last week because of a forearm bruise, and the appeal on his pending six-game suspension is scheduled to be heard Thursday, so he'll likely soon be in for another absence.

Bichette (knee) went 2-for-3 with two singles and a run scored in his rehab debut Wednesday for Triple-A Buffalo.

Bichette was supposed to begin his minor-league rehab assignment with Buffalo on Tuesday before the game got postponed due to rain. He served as Buffalo's designated hitter Wednesday but is scheduled to play shortstop Thursday and could return from the 10-day injured list as early as Friday's series opener in Cincinnati. The 25-year-old has been sidelined since late July because of patellar tendinitis in his right knee.