MLB Player News

Volpe went 1-for-5 with a grand slam in Wednesday's 11-3 victory over the Athletics.

Volpe extended the Yankees' lead to 11-2 with his first career grand slam, a 419-foot shot off Rico Garcia in the fifth inning. It was Volpe's fourth home run of the season. The 22-year-old shortstop had been slumping coming into Wednesday's contest, going 3-for-27 in his last six contests. Volpe is now slashing .205/.300/.348 with 13 RBI, 15 runs scored and 11 stolen bases through his first 150 plate appearances.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday that Seager (hamstring) is expected to return from the 10-day injured list "early" during the Rangers' upcoming homestand, which begins next Monday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Seager will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Frisco on Thursday, first playing five innings at shortstop and building up from there. Barring any setbacks over the weekend, he would seem to have a good shot to return to action in Monday's series opener versus Atlanta. Seager has been out since April 12 due to a left hamstring strain.

Crawford (knee) will start at shortstop and bat leadoff Wednesday against the Rangers, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Crawford missed the last two games because of discomfort in his left knee, and he not only returns to the lineup Wednesday, but he'll also replace a slumping Julio Rodriguez in the leadoff spot. While Crawford has hit just .240 on the season, he's gotten on base at a .378 clip. His presence atop the lineup could help revitalize a dormant Seattle offense.

Baez went 0-for-5 with a steal in Tuesday's 2-0 loss to the Guardians.

Baez saw his five-game hitting streak end Tuesday, but he was able to swipe his third bag of the season. Baez had been swinging the bat well to start the month -- he's 9-for-32 with three homers in eight games since the start of May. He's now slashing .246/.306/.361 with 16 RBI and 14 runs scored through 134 plate appearances this season. Even with his three punchouts Tuesday, Baez has cut his strikeout rate to 17.8 percent, which would be a career low.

Allen is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.

Allen started at shortstop in each of the previous three games but went just 1-for-10 with a walk and three strikeouts, dropping his season-long slash line to .105/.171/.132 across 43 plate appearances. Though he's been serving as the Athletics' primary shortstop while Aledmys Diaz (hamstring) has been on the shelf, Allen could be in danger of losing that role in light of his deep struggles at the plate. Kevin Smith will replace Allen in Wednesday's contest.

Bichette went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and two RBI in Tuesday's 8-4 loss to the Phillies.

He was one of the few Jays to have much success against Aaron Nola on the night, launching a solo shot off the right-hander in the sixth inning. Bichette has five multi-hit performances in his last nine games, batting a blistering .375 (15-for-40) over that stretch to boost his slash line on the season to .331/.372/.545 with eight homers, 24 RBI and 26 runs in 36 contests. The only disappointing element of his production so far has been his 1-for-3 showing on steal attempts.

Smith started in left field and went 2-for-3 with a double in Tuesday's 5-0 loss to Seattle.

The Rangers placed primary left fielder Travis Jankowski (hamstring) on the injured list Tuesday, which opened a lane to at-bats for Smith and Robbie Grossman. Smith had been part of the fill-in solution at shortstop while Corey Seager (hamstring) works his way back, but the suddenly hot Ezequiel Duran has since taken over as the primary substitute there.

Neto went 1-for-3 with a home run in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Astros.

Neto drilled a sinker from Framber Valdez over the right-field wall for his first big fly in the majors. The rookie produced the only offense of the night for Angels, as they couldn't give Shohei Ohtani significant run support in a pitcher's duel. Neto has a .663 OPS in his first 78 at bats.

Franco went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a stolen base in Tuesday's loss against the Orioles.

Franco opened the scoring Tuesday with a solo homer in the first inning. The long ball was Franco's seventh of the year, matching his career high in just 137 at-bats this season. The 22-year-old shortstop would later swipe his ninth base, setting another new personal best. Franco has been on a tear, going 13-for-36 with three home runs and four stolen bases in his last nine games. He's now slashing .310/.365/.556 with 22 RBI and 23 runs scored through 156 plate appearances this season.

Crawford (knee) told reporters before Tuesday's game against the Rangers that he expects to return to the lineup for Wednesday's game against Texas, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Crawford mentioned that the swelling and soreness in his left knee resulting from a ball he fouled off himself Sunday made fielding groundballs a "little uncomfortable." The shortstop will miss at least one more game while completing his recovery, but he seemingly has a good chance of returning Wednesday as long as there are no setbacks.