MLB Player News

Martinez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, a second run scored and two stolen bases in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Angels.

Moved up to the leadoff spot, Martinez flashed his whole skill set as he drove the fourth pitch he saw from Reid Detmers into the left-field seats to put Cleveland up 1-0, before tormenting the southpaw on the basepaths. Martinez has gone yard in back-to-back games, and on the season he's slashing .260/.300/.473 with seven homers, eight steals, 17 runs and 19 RBI in 41 contests.

Pena (hamstring) is dealing with neck soreness following a collision with a runner during a rehab game Tuesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Pena's neck prevented him from working as the DH in Double-A Corpus Christi's game Wednesday, but Astros manager Joe Espada didn't seem concerned about it becoming a long-term issue. The 28-year-old infielder is expected to return to minor-league action Thursday and could make his return to Houston's lineup sometime during the weekend series against Texas.

Neto went 2-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Guardians.

The shortstop took Parker Messick deep in the fifth inning to account for all of the Angels' offense on the afternoon. Neto has hit safely in seven of the last eight games, going 9-for-31 (.290) over that stretch with four extra-base hits, five RBI and six runs. The surge has boosted his slash line on the season to .224/.330/.408 with seven homers, seven steals, 20 RBI and 29 runs in 44 contests.

Alexander went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, two RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 7-0 win over the Yankees.

Getting the nod at second base and batting ninth, Alexander consistently flipped the lineup over for Baltimore's bigger bats and produced his third multi-hit performance over eight starts in May. On the month, the 26-year-old utility player is batting .393 (11-for-28), but playing time around the infield will be harder to come by once Jackson Holliday (hand) is cleared to return from the IL.

Neto will start at shortstop and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Guardians.

Neto batted leadoff in each of the Angels' first 43 contests this season, but he's being moved down to the No. 6 spot after slashing .181/.274/.289 with a 34.7 percent strikeout rate across his last 95 plate appearances. Vaughn Grissom is getting a turn at the top of the Angels' batting order Wednesday.

Muncy (hand) is still being held out of all baseball activities and has no timetable for a return, MLB.com reports.

Muncy landed on the injured list April 28 with a fractured fifth metacarpal in his left hand, an injury that originally stemmed from a hit-by-pitch April 13 against the Rangers. The early expectation was that his stay on the injured list would extend beyond the 10-day minimum, and that has proven to be the case. Additionally, a lack of any progression toward baseball activities suggests the young infielder is not especially close to returning to game action. Zack Gelof has recently seized regular opportunities at the hot corner in Muncy's absence.

Jackson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Jackson will head to the bench for the series finale while the Orioles go with Blaze Alexander at second base, Weston Wilson at third base and Coby Mayo at designated hitter. The Orioles are holding Jackson out of the starting nine for the third time in four games while he's struggled to a .133/.161/.133 slash line to begin May.

Martinez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a stolen base in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Angels.

Martinez connected for his sixth home run of the season in the third inning to give the Guardians an early lead, and then swiped his sixth bag in the seventh. A strong April (five HRs, .825 OPS) has given way to a pedestrian May for Martinez, who entered Tuesday's contest batting .200 (6-for-30) with one extra-base hit and two RBI over the previous 10 games.

Duran went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, three total runs and two total RBI in a 7-4 win over Arizona on Tuesday.

Duran's first RBI came on a solo homer in the fourth inning, and he added a run-scoring infield single in the fifth. The utility man has settled into a regular role as the Rangers' starting second baseman in the absence of Josh Smith (wrist/lower body). Smith hadn't been hitting well prior to his injury, while Duran is slashing a strong .296/.369/.480 on the season, so the latter may retain the starting job at the keystone even after Smith returns.

Witt went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 6-5 loss to the White Sox.

Witt opened the scoring early, drilling an opposite-field solo homer in the first inning off Erick Fedde. The shortstop got off to a slow start by his lofty standards but has kicked things into gear of late, posting a 1.040 OPS with four homers, two doubles, five RBI, 10 runs and two stolen bases across 11 games in May. The 25-year-old's overall numbers are now beginning to resemble those of a star once again, as he's slashing .305/.372/.491 with six homers, 11 doubles, a triple, 20 RBI, 20 runs and 12 stolen bases across 42 contests.