MLB Player News

The Mariners reinstated Crawford (concussion) from the 7-day injured list Monday.

Seattle has yet to release its lineup for Monday's series opener against the White Sox, but Crawford will presumably reclaim a prominent spot in the batting order while settling back in as the Mariners' everyday shortstop. The 28-year-old sustained a concussion Aug. 9 but cleared the protocol 10 days later and was given the green light to rejoin the big club after experiencing no setbacks during his lone rehab game with High-A Everett over the weekend.

Grissom will start at second base and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Mets.

Atlanta faced right-handers for the first six games after Ozzie Albies (hamstring) went on the injured list, with Nicky Lopez receiving the nod at second base in each of those contests. However, with southpaw David Peterson taking the hill for New York on Monday, the lefty-hitting Lopez will head to the bench to clear room for Grissom at the keystone. Grissom is 0-for-2 in two pinch-hitting appearances since being recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett.

Witt went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Cubs.

Witt went nine games without a steal in the middle of August, but he's responded with three thefts over his last two contests. He's been automatic lately, hitting .382 with six home runs, eight steals, 19 RBI and 16 runs scored through 18 games this month. The shortstop is up to a .281/.320/.500 slash line with 37 steals, 24 homers, 79 RBI and 71 runs scored while routinely hitting second.

Arcia went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 4-3 loss against the Giants.

Arcia got Atlanta on the board with a two-run homer off Jakob Junis in the second inning, his 14th long ball of the year and his fourth through 19 games in August. The 29-year-old Arcia had been stuck in a 1-for-30 slump coming into Sunday's contest, including an 0-for-13 stretch over his previous four games. Overall, he's slashing .278/.332/.442 with 14 homers, 51 runs scored and 47 RBI across 391 plate appearances this season.

Crawford (concussion), who played six innings on defense in a rehab game with High-A Everett on Saturday, will rejoin the Mariners in Chicago and could be activated from the 7-day injured list ahead of Monday's series opener against the White Sox, MLB.com reports.

The veteran shortstop also took three plate appearances for Everett in his first game action since Aug. 9. Per manager Scott Servais, Crawford is now free of the mental fogginess he felt following his concussion and came out of Saturday's game feeling good. Consequently, Crawford will be re-evaluated when he joins the Mariners in Chicago, at which point a final decision will be made on whether he's ready to rejoin the starting lineup.

Franco is expected to remain on the restricted list or shifted to administrative leave as Major League Baseball continues its investigation into the player's alleged inappropriate relationship with a minor, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Franco's placement on the restricted list last week was a transaction made by the Rays, whereas a switch to administrative leave would be done by the league as part of the MLB/MLBPA's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. The player's return doesn't appear imminent in either scenario, as the investigation into Franco both by MLB and by authorities in his native Dominican Republic remains ongoing, with no endpoint in sight.

Seager went 2-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Sunday's 6-2 loss to the Brewers.

Seager's third-inning homer was his 23rd of the season and eighth in 15 games since coming off the injured list Aug. 2. The shortstop's 1.071 OPS leads MLB, but Seager is still 17 at-bats shy of qualifying. He has a line of .346/.411/.660 over 367 at-bats.

Edman went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and a run scored in Sunday's win over the Mets.

Edman led off the game for the Cardinals with a single and a stolen base and later stole his second bag of the game in the sixth. Coming into Sunday, Edman had just one steal over his last 27 games and is now 17-for-19 this season. The 28-year-old has posted back-to-back seasons with at least 30 steals but that looks to be a longshot for him in 2023. While he hasn't been running as much, Edman has showcased more power than in recent seasons, evidenced by his .421 slugging percentage and .172 ISO, which are his highest marks since his rookie season in 2019. For the year, Edman is slashing .249/.310/.421 with 11 homers, 38 RBI, 55 runs and a 26:58 BB:K in 380 plate appearances.

Marte started at third base and went 1-for-4 in Sunday's 10-3 loss to the Blue Jays.

Marte made his first MLB start, committed his first MLB error and recorded his first MLB hit with a ninth-inning double. He's expected to serve as the primary third baseman until second baseman Jonathan India (foot) can return. At that point, the Reds will need to accommodate Marte, Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain at shortstop and third base. DH is a possibility, but there's a need to find spots for Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Joey Votto, not to mention Jake Fraley (toe) when he's ready to return.

Downs was optioned to Triple-A Rochester following Sunday's win over the Phillies, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Downs was called up by the Nationals in early August, but he played in just five games over the past few weeks and went 2-for-4 with four runs, two stolen bases and three walks. He should see more consistent playing time in the minors, and his demotion signals that Carter Kieboom should remain with the big-league club.