MLB Player News

Witt went 4-for-5 with a solo home run and three runs scored in Monday's 7-6 win over Seattle.

Witt's four-hit day was highlighted by his inside-the-park home run in the fifth inning. He's collected multiple hits in eight of his last 15 games, going 29-for-64 (.453) with 12 extra-base hits during that stretch. The second-year infielder boosted his season slash line to .277/.318/.492 with 22 homers, 51 extra-base hits and 64 runs scored through 117 games.

Basabe will be Tampa Bay's primary shortstop during their six-game road trip that ends Sunday, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Fellow shortstop Wander Franco was placed on the restricted list Monday, and Basabe will "get an opportunity to play" in the days ahead, per general manager Erik Neander. Basabe is one of Tampa Bay's top prospects, and before going 1-for-3 with a double and a run in his big-league debut Sunday, he hit .294 and posted a .769 OPS over 94 games with Triple-A Durham.

Smith is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Angels.

Smith started four straight games for the Rangers, but he reached base only four times over that span, so he will work as a reserve Monday and allow J.P. Martinez to make a fourth straight start.

Ornelas was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Monday.

Ornelas spent a week with Texas, but he did not record even one at-bat, so the Rangers decided to remove him from the roster to open up a spot for the returning Travis Jankowski. Given his ability to play both the infield and outfield, Ornelas figures to garner consideration next time there is an opening on the big-league roster.

Volpe went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's loss to Miami.

Volpe provided a boost with a two-run shot in the fourth inning, though New York's bullpen imploded late in the Marlins' win. The long ball was the rookie shortstop's second in his past three contests following a 24-game stretch during which he went deep just once. Volpe is up to 16 homers on the campaign to go along with 46 RBI, 47 runs, 20 steals and a .211/.291/.383 slash line over 437 plate appearances.

Diaz went 2-for-5 with an RBI single and a double in a loss to the Nationals on Sunday.

The veteran slotted in at shortstop before subsequently shifting to first base later in the contest, and he posted his first multi-hit effort since July 8 during what was only his fourth start of August. Diaz has been in the starting nine in just 11 of the Athletics' 26 contests since the All-Star break, and although he owns a strong .263 average and .356 on-base percentage thus far in the second half, he could continue to see his playing time take a hit down the stretch as Oakland attempts to evaluate as many young players as possible.

The Rays placed Franco on the restricted list Monday, and the shortstop will take a leave from the team for the duration of their six-game road trip this week.

In a statement, the Rays noted that the decision to place Franco on the restricted list was mutually agreed upon by the club and the player as Major League Baseball opens up an investigation regarding social media posts made about the 22-year-old over the weekend. Franco's leave could extend beyond this week, pending the results of the investigation.

Duran went 2-for-3 with an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Giants.

Duran beat out an infield groundball to short, which enabled J.P. Martinez to score the tying run with two outs in the ninth inning. It was the second straight multi-hit effort for Duran, who is fighting out of a slump. The outfielder/infielder had hit .156 (10-for-64) over 21 games before going 6-for-11 during the three-game series against San Francisco.

Story went 4-for-4 with three doubles, two runs scored and two steals in Sunday's victory over the Tigers.

It was a huge day for Story, who's now 7-for-11 (.636) with four doubles and three steals over his last four games. Overall, the 30-year-old shortstop is batting .368 (7-for-19) with a .979 OPS across 20 plate appearances since returning from the IL on Aug. 9. Story could certainly provide some value down the stretch while batting in the middle of Boston's lineup.

Franco won't travel with the Rays on the team plane ahead of their upcoming series in San Francisco, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The Rays and MLB are investigating social media posts made about Franco over the weekend, and it appears as though the shortstop will at least be unavailable to begin the team's road trip to the West Coast. Manager Kevin Cash called Franco's absence from Sunday's lineup an off day, and the team declined to comment on Franco not traveling on the team plane. It's possible Franco is placed on the restricted list or administrative leave while the investigation proceeds.