MLB Player News

Smith started in left field and went 1-for-4 with a walk, a home run and an additional run scored in Monday's 10-9 loss to Houston.

Smith's fourth-inning solo shot was his first in 23 games and fourth of the season. The seldom-used utility player made a second consecutive start, as the Rangers deal with injuries to Corey Seager (thumb) and Adolis Garcia (hand).

Bichette is not in the starting lineup Monday versus the Dodgers.

Bichette will get a breather after he went 0-for-14 with six strikeouts over the team's series in Seattle. Santiago Espinal will take over at shortstop and bat eighth in the series opener against Los Angeles.

Velazquez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Sunday in a 7-5 victory versus the Pirates.

Velazquez hadn't started a game since before the All-Star break coming into the weekend, but he found his name in the starting lineup for the second straight day Sunday as a result of Zach Neto's back injury. Velazquez made the most of the opportunity, slugging his first homer of the season in the fifth inning. The speedy infielder is still slashing just .200/.308/.289 on the campaign, and with Neto possibly returning to action Tuesday, Velazquez will likely return to a bench role soon.

Reyes (abdomen) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Monday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Reyes will make his return to Boston's roster after missing just over a month with an abdominal injury. The 29-year-old appeared in 11 games during his minor-league rehab assignment, going 11-for-41 with three homers, seven RBI, eight runs scored and three stolen bases during those contests. It's unclear what role Reyes will have with the Red Sox, but relievers Justin Garza and Brandon Walter were both optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Monday.

Witt went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's 8-5 loss to the Yankees.

Witt was also caught stealing once. The shortstop hadn't attempted a theft in his previous eight games, though he also hit .176 with no walks in that span, limiting his chances to run. He has three multi-hit efforts since the All-Star break and is now slashing .253/.292/.443 with 28 steals, 16 home runs, 51 RBI and 50 runs scored through 99 contests.

Baez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Giants.

Baez will take a seat for the second time in the second half while the Tigers and Giants get together for a make-up game that begins at 1:10 p.m. ET. With Baez on the bench, Zach McKinstry will slide over from third base to pick up a start at shortstop.

Chang went 1-for-3 with an RBI, a stolen base and was hit by a pitch in Sunday's 6-1 win over the Mets.

The steal was just the second of the season for Chang, who continues to operate as Boston's everyday shortstop. His window of opportunity will last another couple of weeks, as Trevor Story (elbow) has just begun a rehab assignment that may reach the upper limits of the 20-day maximum. Chang is batting .219 (7-for-32) since he returned from the injured list July 7.

Duran started at shortstop and went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 8-4 win over the Dodgers.

Duran made a second consecutive start at short and 28th of the season, as Corey Seager (thumb) is on the injured list. Duran has been chilly since coming back from the All-Star break. He entered Sunday 2-for-18 with nine strikeouts over six games.

Perez was promoted from Double-A Toledo to Triple-A Erie on Sunday, Emily Waldon of Baseball America reports.

Perez began the 2023 campaign on the injured list but returned to full health in early April and slashed .275/.357/.380 with six homers, 56 runs, 28 RBI and 19 stolen bases over 75 Double-A games. He'll now have an opportunity to showcase his talents at the Triple-A level.

Story (elbow) will move to Triple-A Worcester to continue his rehab assignment this week, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Story began a rehab assignment at Double-A Portland on Friday and has gone 2-for-8 with a three-run homer, two runs, two walks and five strikeouts over his first three games. The 30-year-old will likely require several games with the Triple-A club before he's cleared to rejoin the Red Sox, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him activated sometime in early August.