MLB Player News

The Reds will select McLain's contract form Triple-A Louisville prior to Monday's game in Colorado, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

McLain is one of several quality infield prospects in the Cincinnati system, and the 23-year-old has dominated the International League with a slash line of .346/.464/.713 to go with 12 homers and 10 stolen bases across 168 plate appearances. A first-round selection out of UCLA in 2021, McLain should receive immediate regular playing time with the Reds, and while there may be an adjustment period in his first taste of major-league pitching, he's talented enough to be worth rostering in the majority of redraft formats. He's most likely to settle in as the Reds' everyday shortstop, given that the team has struggled to get much production at the position from Jose Barrero and Kevin Newman this season.

Diaz (hamstring) went 2-for-4 in Sunday's 11-3 loss to the Rangers.

Diaz missed just over two weeks with a hamstring strain. The first five hitters in the Athletics' lineup went a combined 0-for-19 on Sunday, but Diaz provided some solid batting from the No. 7 spot in the order. The versatile 32-year-old is slashing a meager .169/.237/.225 with one home run, six RBI, seven runs scored, a stolen base and two doubles through 97 plate appearances. Despite his lackluster numbers, he should be able to find fairly steady playing time.

DeJong will start at shortstop and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

DeJong will stick in the lineup for a sixth consecutive game, with three of his starts coming against lefties and three coming versus righties. Over the previous five contests, DeJong has gone 5-for-17 with a home run and a stolen base, and that level of production might be enough for him to hold down a near-everyday role in the short term. Tommy Edman is sitting out for the Cardinals' second consecutive matchup with a right-handed starting pitcher and is slashing .163/.178/.279 dating back to April 28, so he could be at risk of moving into a short-side platoon role if St. Louis wants to open up more playing time in the middle infield for DeJong.

San Francisco activated Crawford (calf) off the 10-day injured list ahead of Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks. He'll start at shortstop and bat seventh in the series finale, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Crawford ended up missing just a little over the minimum 10 days while recovering from his left calf strain. The veteran should settle back in as the Giants' everyday shortstop, at least against right-handed pitching. The Giants optioned infielder David Villar to Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move.

Edman is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

Though Edman served as the Cardinals' leadoff man in each of the past three games, all of those starts came with St. Louis facing left-handed pitchers. He'll now find himself on the bench for the second straight matchup with a right-handed starting pitcher and could be in danger of falling into a timeshare at either middle-infield spot with Brendan Donovan and Paul DeJong.

Smith (foot) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics and isn't expected to be available off the bench, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

After Travis Jankowski (hamstring) hit the injured list Tuesday, Smith resurfaced as a regular in the lineup against right-handed pitching, starting in four of the Rangers' past five games. Though Smith went 5-for-10 with three doubles over that stretch of action to build a strong case for continuing to earn ample playing time, he's now day-to-day with an injury of his own. Even if Smith avoids the IL, he could soon find himself on the outs for a regular lineup spot with Corey Seager (hamstring) likely on track to return from the shelf during the upcoming week.

The Athletics optioned Smith to Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday.

Smith was called up by the A's on April 10 and will head back to the minors after he posted a .184/.205/.316 slash line with three home runs, seven RBI and eight runs in 82 plate appearances. Aledmys Diaz (hamstring) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move.

The Athletics reinstated Diaz (hamstring) from the injured list Sunday, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. He'll start at third base and bat seventh in the series finale with the Rangers.

Diaz ended up missing just a few days beyond the 10-day minimum due to a Grade 1 hamstring strain. The Athletics optioned Kevin Smith to Triple-A Las Vegas to clear room on the 26-man active roster for Diaz, who should settle back into a full-time role in the infield.

Pena is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox.

Pena started the first 39 games of the season for Houston, and he'll receive a well-earned breather for Sunday's series finale in Chicago. Mauricio Dubon will shift to shortstop while David Hensley starts at second base.

Wendle is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Wendle is 3-for-20 with a double, two triples, two RBI and a run in six games since being activated from the injured list last weekend, and he'll head to the bench Sunday after he started the past five games. Jon Berti will take over at shortstop in the series finale versus Cincinnati.