MLB Player News

Hernaiz went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Cardinals.

Hernaiz looked to be losing his grip on a starting role at third base last week, but the absence of Jacob Wilson (shoulder) has opened up shortstop for the foreseeable future. Hernaiz will need to hit his way into keeping the job -- this was just his second multi-hit effort of the campaign. The infielder is batting a passable .250, but he has a .638 OPS with one home run, five RBI, seven runs scored and two stolen bases over 69 plate appearances. He doesn't appear to have much upside unless his bat gets hot.

Crawford went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Astros.

Crawford was back atop the lineup since Brendan Donovan received a day off. The homer was Crawford's fifth of the season, four of which have come over his last 14 games, a stretch in which he's hitting .250 (13-for-52). That's an improvement on his .208 average for the season, which comes with a .713 OPS, 14 RBI, 21 runs scored, one stolen base and three doubles over 36 contests. Crawford isn't a huge threat with power or speed, but his patience at the plate is enough to keep him in a starting role for a team that has struggled to hit this season.

Witt went 1-for-3 with two walks and a two-run home run during the Royals' 6-5 loss to the White Sox on Wednesday.

The Royals were down 6-3 heading into the ninth inning, but Witt made the White Sox fans nervous after smacking a two-run homer off Seranthony Dominguez. It was the seventh home run of the season for Witt, four of which have come over his last nine games. He's quickly rebounded from a slow start to the campaign and is slashing .306/.378/.506 with 12 steals, 22 RBI and 22 runs scored across 193 plate appearances this season.

Montgomery went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored during the White Sox's 6-5 win over the Royals on Wednesday.

Montgomery was brought home in the fifth inning on a two-run double by Jarred Kelenic, and the former gave the White Sox a 6-3 lead in the seventh after belting a solo homer off John Schreiber. It was Montgomery's 11th home run of the season and second in 11 games since May 1. The 24-year-old shortstop is slashing .230/.331/.500 with one steal, 29 RBI and 20 runs scored across 175 plate appearances this season.

McGonigle went 1-for-3 with two walks, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Mets.

While Detroit has been scuffling a bit at 19-24, McGonigle has been a bright spot for the Tigers all year long. The rookie is now batting .301 with an .853 OPS, and he's stolen a base in consecutive games to get to seven steals overall in as many attempts. McGonigle is making a strong push for AL Rookie of the Year honors, though Chicago's Munetaka Murakami is also very much in the mix.

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, and he later tormented the southpaw on the basepaths. Martinez has gone yard in back-to-back games and also has three stolen bases. 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.