MLB Player News

Pena went 3-for-4 with a home run and an additional RBI during Thursday's 3-2 win over the Phillies in Game 5 of the World Series.

Pena recorded his second three-hit game in the postseason, and it came at the perfect time for the Houston offense. The 25-year-old got the Astros on the board in the first inning with an RBI single, and he put the Astros ahead 2-1 in the fourth inning with a solo homer off Noah Syndergaard, knocking the Phillies' starter from the game. Pena has had an outstanding postseason in his rookie campaign -- he is 18-for-54 (.333) with four homers, eight RBI and 11 runs scored. The rookie is slated to face Zack Wheeler in Game 6 with the Astros just one win away from the World Series title. Pena was 1-for-3 with an RBI double against Wheeler in Game 2.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Game 5 of the World Series against the Phillies on Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Diaz started Games 2 and 4 and has gone 0-for-8 with four strikeouts in the series. Yordan Alvarez will man left field while David Hensley serves as the designated hitter.

Pena went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and an additional run scored during Sunday's 6-5 win over the Yankees in Game 4 of the ALCS, earning the series MVP award.

Pena continued his fantastic rookie season Sunday with a massive three-run homer off Nestor Cortes that evened the score at 3-3. Pena took advantage of back-to-back walks allowed by the usually reliable Cortes, sending a cutter 408 feet into the left field seats at Yankee Stadium. This marked the rookie's third home run and sixth extra-base hit of the postseason, as he continues to shine as the successor at shortstop to Carlos Correa. Pena's next at-bats will come against the Phillies, who he played in the final regular-season series, going 2-for-6 with a home run.

Pena went 3-for-4 with a solo home run during Game 1 of the ALCS in the 4-2 win over the Yankees.

The remarkable rookie season for the Houston shortstop continued Wednesday as Pena tallied three more hits, including a solo shot off Frankie Montas in the seventh inning to give the Astros a three-run cushion. Pena is now 7-for-20 in the postseason, and he has homered in back-to-back games for the Astros. Coming into 2022 with big shoes to fill, the 25-year-old is proving that the Astros do not need Carlos Correa at shortstop to have success in the postseason.

Rocchio put up a .257/.336/.420 line with 18 homers, 14 steals (on 23 attempts) and a 54:102 BB:K over 132 games spread across Double-A and Triple-A this season.

After putting up a .780 OPS in Double-A, Rocchio posted just a .234/.298/.387 batting line for Triple-A Columbus after being promoted in late August. However, he finished strong, going 6-for-21 (.286) with a homer and a 4:3 BB:K over his final six games of 2022. The 21-year-old is an intriguing prospect who has a great chance to grow into an everyday big-league shortstop.

Volpe hit just .229/.312/.361 with two home runs, five steals and an 8:30 BB:K over 22 games in Triple-A to close out the 2022 season.

His results were far better in Double-A, where he hit .251/.348/.472 with 18 homers, 43 swipes (in 49 tries) and a 57:88 BB:K in 110 games. While that average doesn't look great, Volpe got bitten by some bad BABIP luck (just .272, well short of his norm), so that's nothing to worry about. Volpe is one of the game's top shortstop prospects and the Yankees currently have no one blocking him other than non-stars Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Oswald Peraza, so unless they pick someone up in the offseason, he should have a good chance to make his MLB debut next year. How soon that happens will depend on how quickly he adjusts in his second Triple-A go-round.

Pena (knee) will bat second and play shortstop in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Mariners on Tuesday.

Pena missed the final game of the regular season after fouling the ball off his knee, but there was never a suggestion that he was dealing with a serious injury. The Astros' extra time off during the wild-card round allowed him the time to heal.

Lopez did not make the Blue Jays' 26-man wild-card roster, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports.

Lopez is not on the postseason roster after he went 5-for-8 with three RBI in Wednesday's doubleheader against the Orioles. His absence from the wild-card roster is not surprising considering he only appeared in eight games with the Blue Jays this season.

Seager isn't in the lineup Wednesday against the Yankees.

Seager will remain on the bench for a second consecutive game to close out the regular season. During his first season with the Rangers, the 28-year-old slashed .245/.317/.455 with 33 homers, 91 runs, 83 RBI and three stolen bases over 151 games. Josh Smith will take over at shortstop and bat fifth Wednesday.

Franco isn't starting Wednesday against Boston, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Franco has gone 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a triple, a walk and a strikeout over the last two games, and he'll be on the bench for Wednesday's regular-season finale. Taylor Walls is taking over at shortstop and batting eighth.