MLB Player News

Smith went 1-for-4 with a home run in Tuesday's 7-6 loss to Cincinnati.

Smith extended Texas' lead to 6-0 in the sixth inning with a solo homer off Luke Weaver, his first of the season. Smith is still slashing just .171/.382/.244 with an RBI and seven runs scored through 56 plate appearances this season. The 25-year-old Smith has been platooning with Ezequiel Duran at shortstop, though he'll likely be relegated to a bench role when Corey Seager (hamstring) is able to return.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Tuesday's contest against the Angels, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Diaz is out of the starting lineup for the second time in three games. The veteran infielder takes a seat with Kevin Smith getting the start at shortstop and hitting ninth against the Angels on Tuesday.

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said Tuesday that Anderson (knee) will likely need 10-to-15 at-bats during his eventual minor-league rehab stint, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Anderson is still with the White Sox in Toronto, so any rehab assignment wouldn't begin until Wednesday at the earliest. The shortstop should be able to accumulate those necessary at-bats in 3-to-5 games, so he'll likely be in store for a short rehab assignment, whenever it begins. Anderson looks to be tracking toward a return to the White Sox lineup in the early part of May.

The Red Sox placed Chang on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a left hamate fracture. He's scheduled to undergo surgery and Thursday and is expected to miss around six weeks, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

The injury Chang suffered in Monday's game against the Orioles comes at an unfortunate time, as he had recently carved out a regular role at shortstop for the Red Sox. With Chang now headed for surgery, Enrique Hernandez is expected to move over from second base to take on the bulk of the starts at shortstop. Christian Arroyo and Triple-A Worcester call-up Enmanuel Valdez are the primary candidates to pick up reps at the keystone.

Smith went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run in an extra-inning win over the Angels on Monday.

The Athletics' offense finally had a breakout night in the new season, and Smith followed teammates Brent Rooker and Jesus Aguilar in leaving the yard early in the contest. Rooker's 385-foot shot to left in the second inning was the most productive of the three early round trippers, as it plated Aledmys Diaz and Carlos Perez to push Oakland's lead to 5-0 at the time. Smith has now hit safely in four consecutive starts, slowly crawling out of an early-season hole at the plate that is responsible for his slash line still sitting at an abysmal .186/.186/.279, even when factoring in recent success.

Franco went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Monday's 8-3 win over Houston.

The 22-year-old shortstop didn't just dominate offensively either, as he made an incredible barehanded catch on a dead sprint into foul territory that required him to cover 96 feet in a little over five seconds. Franco is emerging as a superstar in 2023, slashing .318/.388/.580 through 22 games with four homers, five steals, 13 runs and 14 RBI, and the only thing standing between him and a potential 30-30 campaign could be his ability to stay healthy.

Pena went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 8-3 loss to the Rays.

The shortstop took rookie Taj Bradley deep in the third inning, briefly giving the Astros their last lead of the game at 3-2. Pena has had trouble stringing together hits so far this season, slashing just .217/.280/.413 through 23 games, but he's maintained solid fantasy production with four homers, six steals, 13 RBI and 16 runs. The RBI on Monday was his first in the last four games, and he's struck out six times over that span.

Duran went 3-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Reds.

Duran, who made a second consecutive start at shortstop, extended his hitting streak to six games, during which he's 10-for-22 with four extra-base hits, six RBI, four runs and his first stolen base of the season. Duran (against lefties) and Josh Smith (righties) are holding down shortstop while Corey Seager works his way back from a hamstring injury. Seager, who initiated baseball activities Monday, is not due back until mid-May.

Seager (hamstring) played catch and took swings Monday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

This was the first activity of any kind for Seager, who suffered a hamstring injury April 11 and landed on the injured list. He was given a recovery time of a month, putting him in line to return mid-May.

Baez (finger) went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Monday's win over the Brewers.

Baez sprained his left middle finger on a slide into second base Saturday and was then scratched from the lineup Sunday. The shortstop looked fine in his return, and he's now 12-for-32 over his last 10 games to bring his season average up to .222. It's still been a disappointing start for Baez overall, though his recent stretch has been promising, and he appears to be healthy.