MLB Player News

Duran went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored in Thursday's 8-5 loss to Detroit.

Duran continued his recent surge at the plate, launching his 12th home run of the season in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 2-2 before adding a single in the ninth. It marked the 24-year-old's fifth consecutive multi-hit game and his third straight game with a home run. He's now hitting a very robust .367 (29-for-79) in June to go along with five homers, 11 RBI and 16 runs scored.

Seager is not in the lineup Thursday against the Tigers.

Josh Smith will start at shortstop and bat ninth as the Rangers wrap up their four-game series versus Detroit. Seager made an early exit from Wednesday's game, but this is all part of a designed plan to keep him healthy leading into the second half of the 2023 campaign. He boasts a .342/.394/.627 slash line in 175 plate appearances since returning May 17 from a severe left hamstring strain.

Duran went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and an additional RBI in Wednesday's victory over the Tigers.

Duran has multiple hits in four straight contests and eight of his last 10 starts. He's hit a home run in back-to-back games against the Tigers and collected eight extra-base hits, five RBI and eight runs during his 10-game hot streak. While he's been on another level recently, Duran has been a steady contributor all season for the Rangers, slashing .322/.364/.555 with 11 home runs, 33 RBI and 33 runs scored across 61 games (225 plate appearances). The 24-year-old can play infield or outfield, but he appears to have solidified himself as Texas' primary left fielder moving forward.

Volpe went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 11-0 win over the Athletics.

Volpe has found some success at the plate recently, going 6-for-11 over his last three games. His steal Wednesday was his 16th of the season but just his third in four attempts in June. The shortstop is up to a .208/.285/.374 slash line with 10 home runs, 28 RBI, 29 runs scored, 10 doubles and two triples through 80 contests. He continues to hold down a consistent spot in the bottom third of the order.

Velazquez entered as a pinch runner in Tuesday's win over the White Sox, logging a stolen base and scoring a run.

Velazquez hasn't gotten a start since Saturday, but he's still making an impact, swiping a bag as a pinch runner twice in the past three days. The shortstop has demonstrated excellent acumen on the basepaths over the past two seasons, collecting 23 thefts on 25 attempts in 135 games. However, he's batting just .198 during that span, which has prevented him from holding onto an everyday role.

Bichette went 3-for-4 with a double in Tuesday's loss to the Giants.

The Jays managed only eight hits in total, and Bichette's efforts led to no run production in a 3-0 loss. That's been an all-too-common story for the shortstop lately. Bichette extended his hitting streak to 12 games Tuesday, a stretch in which he's slashing .360/.373/.540 but has just four runs and four RBI.

Correa is not in Wednesday's lineup against Atlanta.

Correa is hitting .216 with five home runs and 24 strikeouts in 22 games this month. Kyle Farmer will start at shortstop and hit cleanup against lefty Kolby Allard.

Duran went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 8-3 win over the Tigers.

Duran launched his 10th homer of the season as part of Texas' five-run eighth inning. He's hit safely in eight of 10 games with multiple hits in seven of them. During that stretch, Duran is batting .425/.439/.725 with four doubles, a triple, two home runs, three RBI, a stolen base and seven runs scored. The 24-year-old infielder/outfielder has a firm grasp on the left field job, a role that had been filled by a rotation of players when the season started.

Smith started at third base and went 0-for-2 in Tuesday's 8-3 win over Detroit.

Smith gave Josh Jung a breather at third and was removed for a pinch hitter in the sixth inning after two plate appearances. Wednesday's start was his first in 12 days.

Smith will receive a second opinion on his back injury, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Smith was placed on the 10-day injured list by the A's on June 17 with a back strain, and the infielder remains without a timeline for a return. The second opinion from medical experts will likely go a long way towards determining when Smith is able to get back on the diamond, and there should be an update on his status in the coming days.