MLB Player News

McLain went 2-for-3 with two doubles and a run scored in Friday's 6-5 win over the Dodgers.

McLain was involved in the Reds' three-run first inning when he doubled and came home on Jake Fraley's home run. He's been a steady contributor since coming up in May with no extended slumps during his time in the majors. The middle infielder has never gone more than two games without a hit and is batting .305 with 10 home runs, 36 RBI, eight stolen bases and 48 runs over 63 games.

Witt went 4-for-5 with a double, a grand slam, six total RBI, two runs scored and a steal in Friday's victory over the Twins.

Witt provided a memorable moment in front of the home crowd with his walk-off grand slam against Twins closer Jhoan Duran, capping off a four-hit effort with his first homer since July 16. The 23-year-old stuffed the stat sheet and is now up to 17 home runs and 29 steals through 103 games this season. Expectations seemed almost impossibly high for Witt as a prospect breaking into the majors and yet he's managed to live up to those expectations. He's looking like a potential first-round pick in roto leagues next year.

Crawford (knee) went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored in Friday's 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Crawford missed Wednesday's game with a knee injury, but an off day Thursday allowed him to heal enough to get back in the lineup. The shortstop has put together an excellent July, batting .329 (28-for-85) with 12 walks over 22 contests. He's up to a .261/.368/.400 slash line with eight home runs, 35 RBI, 54 runs scored and a stolen base through 96 contests, and he continues to look solid atop the Mariners' lineup.

Crawford (knee) is expected to return to the Giants' lineup Sunday against the Red Sox, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

After reporting improvement during the week, Crawford cleared his final hurdle Friday, logging at-bats against a minor-league pitcher. It sounds like he will return after missing just over the minimum, though his exact role is to be determined in light of Marco Luciano's promotion. Luciano was reportedly taking grounders at second base Friday.

Crawford (knee) is back in the lineup Friday at Arizona.

Crawford will start at shortstop and bat leadoff for the visiting Mariners after missing Wednesday's series finale in Minnesota due to a right knee contusion. It was never a serious concern.

Neto was scratched from the lineup Friday versus the Blue Jays due to renewed back stiffness, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Andrew Velazquez will play shortstop and bat ninth for the Angels as Neto continues to struggle through a back issue that first popped up last weekend. He is considered day-to-day.

Leonard was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Friday.

Leonard is a 40-man roster casualty following the Dodgers' acquisition of both Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly from the White Sox. Justin Bruihl also got the boot. Leonard, a 22-year-old infielder, had slashed .254/.327/.411 with 11 homers and three steals through 92 games this season at Double-A Tulsa.

Smith (back) started at designated hitter and went 1-for-3 with an RBI single in Triple-A Las Vegas' loss to Sugar Land on Thursday.

Smith enjoyed a solid start to his rehab assignment. The infielder will work up to playing defense in subsequent games as he completes his recovery from a mid-June back strain.

Abrams went 1-for-3 with two walks, a run and a stolen base in Thursday's loss to the Mets.

Abrams was one of just two Nationals hitters to reach base multiple times in the loss, and he scored the team's only run following a walk and a stolen base in the sixth inning. Though the shortstop has begun to tail off just a bit by going 4-for-19 over his past five games, that won't prevent July from being arguably the best month of his career thus far. Through 21 July games, Abrams is slashing .337/.398/.542 with three homers, four doubles, two triples, eight RBI, 21 runs, and 12 thefts on 12 attempts.

Smith (back) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.

Smith will likely need a number of rehab games before being activated. When he's ready, he should return to the top spot on the shortstop depth chart in Oakland.