MLB Player News

Mateo isn't starting Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Mateo started the last five games but went just 3-for-18 with a home run, two RBI and six strikeouts. Gunnar Henderson is starting at shortstop and batting fifth Saturday.

Bogaerts isn't starting Saturday against the Royals, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Bogaerts hit .304 with two home runs, four runs and four RBI over the last six games but will get a breather Saturday. Yu Chang is starting at shortstop and batting eighth.

Story (heel) isn't starting Saturday against the Royals, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Story continues to deal with a heel issue and will be excluded from the lineup for a fourth consecutive game. Christian Arroyo is starting at the keystone and batting fifth.

Wendle went 3-for-5 with a stolen base in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Nationals.

After missing a few starts with what the Marlins termed a "minor right core issue", Wendle returned to the lineup and looked to be 100 percent healthy as he stole his 12th base of the season. The veteran infielder has multi-hit efforts in four straight starts, and he's slashing .323/.344/.500 over his last 64 plate appearances with eight doubles, a home run, two steals, seven RBI and nine runs.

Barrero isn't starting the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Barrero's playing time has declined recently, and he'll head to the bench for the fourth time in the last five games. Kyle Farmer is starting at shortstop and batting third during Saturday's matinee.

Pena went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Friday against the Athletics.

Pena took Adrian Martinez deep in the fifth inning to tally his 18th homer of the season. He has at least one hit in 13 of his last 16 games while maintaining a .290 average with nine runs scored in that span. Overall, Pena has slowed considerably since his hot start to the season and has a 95 wRC+ and .300 wOBA across 497 plate appearances as a result.

Seager went 1-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Friday's 4-3 win over the Rays.

Seager didn't allow the Rangers to waste a two-on, two-out situation in the fourth, delivering both runners with a double. He hasn't hit well during September, batting .169, but he's had key hits and knocked in nine runs over 14 games this month. For the season, Seager has a .918 OPS with runners in scoring position.

Fletcher (hand) will be placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Fletcher was hit by a pitch on his hand last Saturday and underwent a CT scan Friday that came back negative. He's believed to be dealing with a bone bruise, but the Angels hope he'll be cleared to return following a minimal IL stint. If that's the case, Fletcher would have a chance to contribute during the final week of the regular season.

Cruz went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's loss to the Mets.

Cruz hit an eighth-inning home run that sent Tyler Heineman home. It was Cruz's sixteenth homer of the year, his second in three days, and his fifth this month. Cruz is having his best stretch since he was called up to the big league club June 20. The rookie shortstop is slashing .288/.311/.644 this month after going 17-for-59. Cruz has also struck out 23 times in that span, but has raised his batting average from .202 to .221.

Turner went 1-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 5-0 win over the Dodgers.

Turner has yet to go hitless in a game in September, as he now owns a 12-game hitting streak. In that span, he's gone 15-for-54 (.278) with eight extra-base hits, 11 RBI and three steals. The shortstop has reached the 25-steals mark for the sixth time in the last seven years, with the abbreviated 2020 campaign being the lone exception. He's added a .304/.349/.485 slash line, 20 home runs, 98 RBI and 90 runs scored through 141 contests.