MLB Player News

Witt is absent from the Royals' lineup for Friday's game against the Athletics.

It's a rare day off for the young infielder. Maikel Garcia will handle shortstop while Witt gets some rest, with Hunter Dozier covering third base.

Shewmake is starting at shortstop and batting ninth Friday against the Orioles.

Shewmake will enter the lineup after being called up from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday, replacing Vaughn Grissom at shortstop. Grissom has struggled to a .190 average with seven strikeouts over his last six games, so he could slide into a timeshare with Shewmake if the latter performs well in his big-league debut.

Mateo is batting leadoff and playing shortstop for the Orioles on Friday in Atlanta, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

It's the first time Mateo has ever batted leadoff for the Orioles and just the third time during his time with the club that he's batted higher than fifth. He's earned it by putting up a robust .968 OPS this season. Austin Hays has mostly batted leadoff lately versus lefties, but he's out with a finger injury.

Barrero isn't in the Reds' lineup for Friday's game against the White Sox.

With just a .588 OPS over his last five games, Barrero will take a seat to begin Friday's contest. Kevin Newman will take over for him at shortstop and bat eighth.

Witt went 3-for-5 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 13-10 loss to the Orioles.

Witt delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning, but he was caught stealing immediately afterwards, limiting the Royals' chance to rally. He's now 8-for-10 on the basepaths this season. The shortstop has gone 5-for-14 (.357) with three extra-base hits over three games in May, but on the season he's slashing .237/.281/.435 with five home runs, 13 RBI, 21 runs scored, five doubles and three triples through 32 games as the Royals' main leadoff hitter.

Mateo went 1-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in Thursday's 13-10 win over the Royals.

Mateo had gone five games without a steal prior to Thursday. He's hit safely in nine of his last 10 contests, going 10-for-37 (.270) with three home runs and three steals in that span. For the season, the shortstop is slashing .321/.372/.595 with six homers, 11 thefts, 19 RBI and 23 runs scored through 96 plate appearances.

Adrianza was placed on the 10-day injured list by Atlanta on Friday with right elbow inflammation.

The move is retroactive to May 2, so Adrianza will be eligible to return when Atlanta begins a road trip May 12. Braden Shewmake has taken his spot on the roster.

Shewmake was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett by Atlanta on Friday.

Shewmake has slashed .243/.282/.456 with five homers and nine steals at Gwinnett this season while splitting time between second base and shortstop. With Vaughn Grissom not hitting much, Mark Bowman of MLB.com believes Shewmake could get a long look at shortstop due to his superior glove until Orlando Arcia (wrist) returns.

Tovar went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored Thursday against the Brewers.

Tovar delivered a two-RBI double in the seventh inning to start a late rally for the Rockies. The performance extended his hitting streak to seven games, during which he has gone 8-for-24 with a home run, four RBI and five runs scored in that span. He has benefitted from a lengthy homestand -- only one of those seven games has been on the road -- but he has still quietly improved his season-long line in recent weeks.

Crawford went 0-for-2 with two walks and two runs in a win over the Athletics on Thursday.

The veteran shortstop is just 2-for-23 over his last seven games following a 3-for-4 effort that featured a grand slam against the Phillies on April 26, but he still managed to make an impact Thursday. Crawford's multi-run effort was his fourth of the season, and despite a middling .226 batting average, he's maintaining an elite .374 OBP thanks to a 19.0 percent walk rate.