MLB Player News

Story went 2-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 17-4 win over the Orioles.

Story accounted for the 17th and final run in Saturday's trouncing of the Orioles when Enrique Hernandez singled him home. Story also knocked in a few runs of his own, plating Xander Bogaerts in the fourth inning and Abraham Almonte in the eighth. His final RBI came on a bases-loaded walk in the ninth that scored Almonte again. The veteran second baseman has improved his batting average from .232 to .240 this month thanks to three multi-hit games and a .313/.371/.531 slash line.

Baez went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and an RBI triple while also scoring two runs in Saturday's win over the Royals.

Baez doubled home Victor Reyes in the third inning, then sent Reyes home again on a triple in the fifth. Baez also reached home on two Harold Castro singles, one in the third and one in the fifth. Baez has started to heat up this month, going hitless in just one of nine games and slashing .353/.389/.529. The veteran shortstop also has a home run, eight RBI and five runs during that span and has raised his season batting average from .223 to .233.

Bichette went 3-for-5 with three doubles, one walk, one RBI and one run scored in Saturday's 11-7 win over the Rangers.

Bichette recorded two of his three doubles off righty starter Kohei Arihara, one of which drove in a run in the third inning. The 24-year-old has been hitting everything in his last eight games, recording a ridiculous .514 average and 1.171 slugging percentage over his last 35 at-bats entering Saturday. The shortstop also tallied a monstrous 10 extra-base hits during that span, including six home runs and a triple.

Velazquez went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Astros.

Velazquez's RBI came on a groundout in the second inning. He added a steal after his single in the sixth, which was his third theft in five games. The shortstop has now hit safely in consecutive games since he snapped an 0-for-18 skid that spanned eight contests. For the season, he owns a .194/.236/.296 slash line with 16 steals, eight home runs, 27 RBI and 36 runs scored through 341 plate appearances.

Fletcher was removed from Saturday's game against the Astros with a right hand contusion. X-rays were negative and he is considered day-to-day.

Jose Urquidy's second pitch of the game -- clocked at 93.9 mph -- hit Fletcher square on the hand. While Fletcher stayed in the game initially, he was replaced at second base by Luis Rengifo to begin the bottom of the first. The Angels may need someone else to set the table in the series finale if Fletcher can't go.

Manager Dusty Baker said Saturday that he hopes Diaz (groin) will be able to return Tuesday against the Tigers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Diaz began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday and went 0-for-3 with a walk. He'll appear in rehab games Saturday and Sunday and is expected to get a day to rest prior to joining the Astros in Detroit on Tuesday.

Crawford went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to Atlanta on Friday.

Crawford uncorked a rare blast off Charlie Morton in the fifth inning, the shortstop's first home run since June 1. Crawford's .253 average is a far cry from the much higher figures he was carrying during most of the first half of the season, but he's encouragingly shown some signs of life recently by hitting safely in five of the last six games on his way to a .286 average and .851 OPS during that span.

Bichette went 2-for-4 with a triple, a home run and three RBI in Friday's 4-3 win over the Rangers.

He took Dane Dunning deep in the third inning for a two-run shot, Bichette's fifth homer in the last four games and his 23rd of the year. The shortstop remains one of the hottest hitters in baseball, and over his last 18 games he's slashing .411/.469/.781 with six homers, two steals, 16 runs and 19 RBI.

Franco went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 4-2 victory over the Yankees.

All of Tampa's four runs were scored via doubles, with Franco having a hand in al four. He scored on both of Randy Arozarena's doubles -- one in the first inning and one in the fourth. The shortstop hit his own double in the fourth that scored Yandy Diaz and Ji-Man Choi. This was Franco's first game since July 9 and he picked up right where he left off. After the three-hit game, the young star is slashing .267/.313/.409.

Pena went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in a 4-3 win over the Angels on Friday.

Pena has showed decent pop from the shortstop position in his rookie season. The 24-year-old now has 17 homers on the season to go along with a .249 average. The clear hole in Pena's game is that he does not walk enough. He has a 4.1 percent walk rate and an OBP of only .285. He showed an ability to get on base at a healthy rate in the minors so it is possible he will develop this skill at the major-league level as he matures.