MLB Player News

Smith is not in the starting lineup Tuesday versus the Rays.

Smith will take a seat after he went 2-for-6 with a solo homer, two runs scored and two strikeouts while starting the last two contests. Aledmys Diaz will take over at shortstop and bat seventh against Tampa Bay.

Pena is absent from the Astros' lineup for the second game in a row Tuesday due to illness, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Pena wasn't feeling well Sunday and apparently still isn't 100 percent following Monday's off day. Mauricio Dubon will fill in at shortstop against Patrick Corbin and the Nationals.

Witt went 0-for-2 with three walks, a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Reds.

Witt had gone 20 games without drawing a walk prior to Monday, though he was able to limit himself to 17 strikeouts over that span. He's striking out at a 20.9 percent rate while walking at a 5.0 percent clip in 2023, making marginal improvements in both areas over his 2022 numbers. The shortstop is also slashing .237/.277/.414 with 10 home runs, 21 steals, 28 RBI and 38 runs scored over 65 contests.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in an interview on the Talkin' Yanks podcast Tuesday that demoting Volpe to the minor leagues is not something the team has talked about.

"What I'm seeing is in my opinion a guy that is still helping us win games but I'm confident will continue to be in the middle of helping us win games," Boone said. The manager's statement isn't surprising, as you wouldn't really expect him to acknowledge that sending Volpe down was being considered even if it were the case. Perhaps, though, it serves as a much-needed vote of confidence for the rookie following a dreadful start to June, which has dropped his season batting line down to .186/.260/.345. For what it's worth, Volpe's potential replacement, Oswald Peraza, is hitting .311/.384/.597 with 10 homers and seven steals in 28 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Crawford went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two runs in a win over the Marlins on Monday.

The hot-hitting leadoff man set the table for both Teoscar Hernandez and Ty France, coming home on their first-inning double and second-inning home run, respectively. Crawford is now on a three-game tear that's seen him go 7-for-13 and quickly boost his average 18 points to .253. He also continues to help his cause by drawing walks at what is now a 13.4 percent clip, his highest rate since his rookie 2017 season in Philadelphia.

Duran went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Monday's 9-6 extra-innings loss to the Angels.

Duran's second-inning blast gave the Rangers an early 3-0 lead that eventually expanded to 5-0, but Texas pitching couldn't hold it, and the offense went silent. It was Duran's first homer since returning from the injured list earlier this month. The layoff didn't hurt his plate production. Duran, who's started seven of nine games since being activated, is 8-for-22 (.364) with two doubles, a homer, five RBI and six runs scored over that span.

Franco isn't in the Rays' lineup for Monday's game against Oakland.

Franco has slashed .250/.300/.429 across the past week and will get a day off Monday to regroup. Taylor Walls will shift over to shortstop to fill in for Franco, allowing Vidal Brujan and Isaac Paredes to cover second and third base, respectively.

Story (elbow) offered August as a rough timeline for when he'll be able to play shortstop when asked Monday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

It remains possible that Story could return sooner as a designated hitter, although that hasn't been decided yet and it's unclear how likely of a scenario it is. Story has increased his throwing to 120 feet as he recovers from an internal bracing procedure of his right elbow and he's aiming to build up to 150 feet.

The Red Sox won't activate Chang (wrist) from the 10-day injured list this week as anticipated after he experienced renewed soreness in his surgically repaired left hand, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Chang required surgery in late April to repair a fractured left hamate bone and experienced two setbacks while on a rehab assignment. The Red Sox are hopeful that he can get back into rehab games next week, but a timetable for his return now appears up in the air.

Story (elbow) was spotted playing catch from 120 feet Monday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Story had been playing catch from 105 feet at this point last week, so he's taken another marginal step forward in his recovery from elbow surgery by stretching his long-toss distance out another 15 feet. The 30-year-old should continue to gradually increase the distance and intensity of his throwing, but the Red Sox could bring him back from the 60-day injured list as a designated hitter initially rather than immediately installing him as their everyday shortstop. Story still appears to be targeting somewhere around the All-Star break for his season debut.