MLB Player News

Diaz went 3-for-5 with an RBI in Friday's 2-0 win over the Guardians.

Diaz singled in the third inning and drove in a run on his 20th double of the year in the fifth. He later added a single in the seventh and has logged multiple hits in three of his past six games. On the year, the 32-year-old is hitting .276 with eight home runs, 45 RBI and 35 runs scored over 408 plate appearances.

Smith is out of the lineup for Friday's game versus the Royals, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Lefty Cole Ragans is starting Friday for Kansas City, so the lefty-hitting Smith will hit the bench for the second time in the past three games. Romy Gonzalez will receive a look at first base in the series opener.

The Yankees placed Davis on the 10-day injured list Friday due to the stomach flu.

Davis hadn't appeared in a game since July 4 and is battling a stomach bug. The veteran infielder will be eligible for reinstatement shortly after the All-Star break, though he's only started four games since being acquired by the Yankees on June 23. Jorbit Vivas will take Davis' place on the active roster.

The Yankees are expected to place Davis on the injured list Friday with an undisclosed injury, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports.

It's unclear when Davis suffered the injury, but he has played in just five contests since being acquired by the Yankees on June 23. Davis will be eligible to return early in the second half, although a timeline for his return hasn't yet been provided by the club.

France went 2-for-5 with an RBI, a double and a run in a win over the Angels on Thursday.

France drove home the second of the Mariners' 11 runs with a first-inning fielder's choice and eventually came around to score. He has now hit safely in four straight games and reached base in nine of his last 10 contests, but walks and singles have been his calling card -- the veteran has just three extra-base hits over 86 plate appearances since returning from the injured list June 18.

The Athletics placed Soderstrom on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a left wrist bone bruise, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Soderstrom has gone just 4-for-22 with two RBI since the beginning of July, and his wrist injury will now hold him out of action until shortly after the All-Star break. Tyler Nevin and Armando Alvarez are likely to see action at first base while Soderstrom is out, and Seth Brown will come up from Triple-A Las Vegas to fill the open spot on the active roster.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that Canha is "very available" for Thursday's game against the Guardians, despite the fact that he's been contending with left hip discomfort of late, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. "It's not a punishment at all, it's [how] these other guys are swinging the bat," Hinch said of Canha's status. "I think Mark's best contribution today will be off the bench."

Canha is out of the lineup Thursday for a third straight game, and while the hip issue initially looked to be at least part of the reason why he was on the bench, Hinch's comments seemed to suggest that it's more of a result of Canha's poor performance of late. Heading into Thursday's contest, Canha is hitting just .098/.203/.118 with one extra-base hit over his last 15 games, though it's unclear to what extent playing through the hip injury might have factored into his struggles. Regardless, Zach McKinstry has been the main beneficiary of Canha's slump, as the lefty-hitting McKinstry will stay in the lineup for a fifth straight game. The two could end up being deployed in a de facto platoon, making the right-handed-hitting Canha a candidate to re-enter the lineup Friday and Saturday, when the Tigers are tentatively scheduled to face Dodgers lefties Justin Wrobleski and James Paxton.

Mountcastle went 3-for-4 in Wednesday's 4-0 loss to the Cubs.

Mountcastle has gone 6-for-24 (.250) over six games in July, a continuation of his performance from June, when he batted .248 across 28 contests. It's a bit of a slump for the first baseman, but not one that has cost him playing time, though he has dropped in the order versus right-handers. He's slashing .272/.314/.454 with 12 home runs, 42 RBI, 44 runs scored, 21 doubles and two stolen bases across 84 games this season.

Naylor is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers.

Naylor had started in 13 straight contests dating back to June 27, so the Guardians will give the slugger a breather in the day game after a night game. David Fry checks in at first base in place of Naylor.

Canha said Wednesday that he's still contending with left hip discomfort, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

The hip issue helps explain why Canha will be out of the lineup for a third straight game Thursday against the Guardians, though the 35-year-old likely would have continued to play through the injury had he been performing better at the plate. Over his last 15 games, Canha is slashing a miserable .098/.203/.118 with one extra-base hit (a double). The injury and some bad luck may be contributing to Canha's recent struggles, as he's upheld strong walk (10.2 percent) and strikeout rates (11.9 percent) over those 15 games but has a .111 BABIP. Zach McKinstry has benefited the most from added playing time this week, but Canha could eventually settle back into a near-everyday role once the injury is fully behind him.