MLB Player News

Bogaerts (back) is starting at shortstop and batting cleanup Thursday against the Blue Jays, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Bogaerts exited Tuesday's game against Toronto with mid-back spasms and was held out of the lineup Wednesday, but he'll return to the field for Thursday's series finale. The 29-year-old has struggled offensively through 17 games in August with a .209/.239/.343 slash line.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Thursday that Franco (wrist) won't resume his rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham until next week at the soonest, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Though Franco no longer seems to be experiencing discomfort in his surgically repaired right wrist after taking swings and fielding grounders Tuesday before advancing to a full workout Wednesday, the Rays seem content to take things slowly with the star 21-year-old. Assuming he makes it through the weekend without any setbacks, Franco could resume action at Durham as soon as next Tuesday. Since Franco played in only one rehab game before being pulled off the assignment last week, the Rays may want to see him play a handful of games in Durham before bringing him back from the 10-day injured list.

Story (wrist) started at second base and went 1-for-1 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored for Double-A Portland on Wednesday.

Story kicked off a rehab assignment by playing four innings in the field before being replaced. The exact plan for Story has not been divulged, but the Red Sox likely want to see him play a full game in the field and maybe on back-to-back days before returning him to Boston.

Witt went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 5-3 victory versus the Diamondbacks.

Witt's lone hit of the contest was a big one, as his seventh-inning, three-run blast to center field gave Kansas City a four-run lead. The long ball was his second in as many contests and extended his modest hitting streak to six games. Each of Witt's past three hits have gone for extra bases (two homers, one triple).

Seager went 2-for-4 with a walk, two doubles, two RBI and three runs scored Tuesday against Colorado.

Seager managed his first multi-RBI game since Aug. 9 but scored multiple runs in each of the Rangers' games at Coors Field. He's also riding a five-game hitting streak, and he's recorded multiple knocks on three occasions in that span. Overall, Seager has maintained a .257/.333/.467 line across 520 plate appearances on the season.

Franco said his surgically repaired right wrist didn't bother him while he took swings in the batting cage and fielded grounders Tuesday, and he expects to resume his rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham within the coming days, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Franco appeared in a game for Durham on Aug. 16, but after experiencing discomfort in the wrist, he didn't play any of the following four days before being pulled off the assignment Sunday. Fortunately for the Rays, the 21-year-old doesn't appear to be dealing with a major setback, given that he was able to resume baseball activities Tuesday. Franco is scheduled to go through a full workout Wednesday, and if all goes well, the Rays could be comfortable sending him back to Durham for game action.

Baez was scratched from Wednesday's lineup against the Pirates due to back spasms, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Baez was removed from the starting lineup minutes before first pitch. Kody Clemens will start at second base and bat third while Willi Castro shifts to shortstop.

Witt went 2-for-4 with a triple, a solo home run and an additional run in a 7-3 loss to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

Witt's ability to get on base from the top third of the Royals lineup has been subpar in his rookie season, evidenced by a .294 OBP. However, the 22-year-old shortstop has flashed a rare combination of power and speed over the first 472 plate appearances of his young career. Witt now has 17 home runs to go along with six triples and 24 stolen bases in 2022.

Manager Alex Cora said Bogaerts (back) will be out of the lineup Wednesday against the Blue Jays, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Bogaerts went 0-for-2 with a walk Tuesday before exiting the contest with mid-back spasms, and he'll be held out of the starting nine for at least one game. Tommy Pham also left with back spasms Tuesday, so the Red Sox are expected to make a roster move to add a position player, though it's unclear if either Bogaerts or Pham will require a trip to the injured list.

Mateo went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and an RBI in a 5-3 win Tuesday over the White Sox.

Mateo drove in a run with a single and stole second base in the seventh inning. It was his 28th stolen base of the season and first since Aug. 11. The 27-year-old has exploded in August, posting a .338/.390/.606 line with 10 extra-base hits and 17 RBI in 20 contests. After striking out in 32.5 percent of his first 277 plate appearances, the shortstop has struck out in just 18.8 percent of his last 133 trips to the plate.