Bichette (knee) has been swinging a bat and throwing, but a timetable for when he'll begin a running progression is unclear, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Bichette has been sidelined for the past three weeks with a PCL sprain in his left knee. The Blue Jays remain hopeful that they will get their shortstop back at some point during the postseason, but when exactly that will happen and in what capacity will remain a mystery until he's able to ramp up his running. Until then, Andres Gimenez will continue to fill in at shortstop.

Witt went 4-for-5 with two doubles, one RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's 9-4 win over the Angels.

Witt continues to wield a hot bat -- he has gone 16-for-45 (.356) over his last 10 games, a span that includes six multi-hit efforts. Eight of his knocks in that span have gone for extra bases. The shortstop is up to a .296/.352/.504 slash line with 23 home runs, 85 RBI, 99 runs scored, 37 stolen bases, 46 doubles and six triples across 154 contests this season.

Baez (neck) will start at shortstop and bat ninth Thursday against the Guardians.

Baez sat out the Tigers' last two games while dealing with neck stiffness, but he'll return in time to start a pivotal contest against Cleveland in the race for the AL Central title. The 32-year-old has been struggling offensively since the beginning of the month, going just 3-for-27 (.111) and posting a .323 OPS over 12 games.

Pena (oblique) isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Thursday imaging revealed Pena suffered a strain in his left oblique that has been causing him pain while taking mild swings, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic, which could be enough for the Astros to consider placing him on the injured list. In the meantime, Mauricio Dubon will receive another start at shortstop Thursday and bat ninth.

Pena (oblique) isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Athletics.

Pena will sit on the bench for a third straight game since being taken out of Sunday's lineup with a sore left oblique. Carlos Correa will slide over to shortstop to cover for Pena, allowing Ramon Urias to pick up a start at third base.

Hernaiz isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus Houston.

Hernaiz will grab a seat on the bench Wednesday after going 1-for-13 over his last four games. His absence will allow Max Schuemann to start at the keystone and bat seventh.

Smith (elbow) is starting at shortstop and batting second against the Twins on Wednesday.

Smith was held out of Tuesday's series opener due to a left elbow infection, but he has been cleared to play in Wednesday's tilt. He has not recorded a hit in any of his last four games and has gone 11-for-55 (.200) with three steals, six runs and one RBI since Sept. 1.

Baez (neck) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Baez was originally in Tuesday's lineup against Cleveland but was scratched ahead of the first pitch due to neck stiffness. He evidently needs another day, and Trey Sweeney is manning shortstop for the Tigers and batting ninth.

Cauley slashed .276/.333/.530 with nine home runs, seven steals and a 23.9 percent strikeout rate in his final 44 games for Double-A Frisco.

Cauley finished the season in style, going 4-for-4 with a walk-off home run in the final game of the season Sept. 14 against Northwest Arkansas. Long known as a fantastic athlete and versatile up-the-middle defender, Cauley's strikeout issues have held him back in prior years. He struck out 29.2 percent of the time as a 21-year-old at High-A last year and 31.6 percent of the time in the lower levels in 2023, so the fact he logged his best strikeout rate as a pro (24.7 percent) in his first season at Double-A is an encouraging sign. Cauley split time between shortstop (45 starts), center field (42 starts) and second base (25 starts) this season and should get added to the 40-man roster this winter to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Montgomery went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Yankees.

He provided all the offense for the White Sox by taking Luis Gil deep in the sixth inning. It was Montgomery's 19th homer of the year in the big leagues and his 30th across all levels, but his first since Sept. 5, snapping a 14-game power drought. Through his first 66 MLB contests, the rookie shortstop is slashing .221/.295/.498 with a 29.5 percent strikeout rate.