MLB Player News

Witt (knee) remains out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rays.

Witt went through a full pregame workout Monday and the Royals remain optimistic he can avoid the injured list, but he will miss a fourth straight start with a Grade 1 MCL sprain in his right knee. According to Brian Murphy of MLB.com, manager Matt Quatraro expects the start shortstop to be available off the bench Tuesday. Tyler Tolbert is handling shortstop for Kansas City on Tuesday.

Pena (hamstring) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game in Toronto.

Pena was forced to depart Monday's contest versus the Blue Jays with a right hamstring cramp. Astros manager Joe Espada said that Pena will go through a full pregame workout and could be available off the bench Tuesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports. Raynel Delgado is covering shortstop for Houston on Tuesday.

The Twins promoted Houston from High-A Cedar Rapids to Double-A Wichita on Monday.

Houston earned the bump up to the Texas League after slashing .325/.406/.461 with five home runs and 24 steals (on 26 attempts) across 268 plate appearances with Cedar Rapids. The 22-year-old is viewed as a plus defender at shortstop, but he could nonetheless get more exposure to second base and third base in the higher levels of the minors if the Twins envision him serving as a utility infielder once he reaches the big leagues.

Duran went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's 4-3 win over Miami.

Duran swatted a two-run home run in the fourth inning to give Texas a 2-0 lead. It was his sixth homer of the season and upped his RBI count to 40, second on the club behind Jake Burger (46). Duran will continue to operate as the fill-in shortstop until Corey Seager (concussion) is ready to return. At that point, Duran is expected to shift to second base.

Henderson went 3-for-4 with an RBI triple, a walk and a run scored in Monday's 6-1 win over the Angels.

This was Henderson's fourth multi-hit effort over his last 10 games. He's gone 12-for-38 (.316) with three homers, seven RBI and a 6:8 BB:K in that span. The star shortstop continues to turn things around in the middle of the season after getting off to a slow start. He's hitting .229 with a .732 OPS on the year, and he's added 16 long balls, 39 RBI, 44 runs scored, six stolen bases, 14 doubles and two triples over 79 contests.

The Astros announced that Pena left Monday's game with a right hamstring cramp.

Pena was removed from Monday's game in the sixth inning with what is now diagnosed as a right hamstring cramp. Houston's infield, specifically their depth at shortstop, has been brutalized by injuries this season with Carlos Correa (ankle), Braden Shewmake (thigh) and Nick Allen (hamstring) all on the injured list.

The Astros removed Pena from the game after fouling off a pitch mid-at-bat, reports Julia Morales of Space City Home Network.

Brice Matthews replaced Pena at shortstop in the sixth inning after fouling off a pitch in the middle of his at-bat. The shortstop left the game with a trainer after going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and a run scored. Houston has yet to announce the specificity of the injury Pena suffered.

McGonigle went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Monday's 5-3 win over the Yankees.

As he's done all season, McGonigle helped set the table for the Tigers as the leadoff man, and he managed to extend his hitting streak to eight games in the process. The likely American League Rookie of the Year frontrunner is now slashing .285/.393/.431, and he's only struck out 42 times across 75 contests. McGonigle's ability to make consistent contact at the plate should help him avoid any prolonged slumps moving forward and keep his fantasy value elevated.

Gray is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Dodgers.

On the bench for a third straight game against a right-handed starting pitcher, Gray appears to have lost hold of his strong-side platoon role at shortstop. The Twins will once again turn shortstop over to the hot-hitting Ryan Kreidler, who has earned himself more opportunities by producing an .880 OPS since Minnesota recalled him from Triple-A St. Paul on May 14.

Manager Skip Schumaker said that Seager (concussion) is scheduled to take live batting practice before the Rangers evaluate him for a return from the 7-day injured list, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Seager is still dealing with mild concussion symptoms stemming from an on-field collision June 11 in Kansas City, but he's resumed running and fielding and will take another positive forward in his recovery when he resumes facing live pitching. He'll be reassessed following Tuesday's workout, and if his concussion symptoms have dissipated by then, Seager could bypass a rehab assignment and return from the 7-day injured list later in the week. Once Seager is deemed ready to handle an everyday role at shortstop, Ezequiel Duran will likely slide over to second base and displace Nicky Lopez as the primary option at that position.