MLB Player News

Correa went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Thursday's win over the Yankees.

Correa made his presence known after missing the previous four games, smacking his first homer of the year. Fantasy managers can rest easy knowing that the superstar is clearly not hobbled by his previous back issues. The former first overall pick in the 2012 MLB draft is off to a slow start this season with a .661 OPS through his first 40 plate appearances.

Duran will serve as the Rangers' backup shortstop while Corey Seager (hamstring) is sidelined, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Josh Smith started at shortstop Wednesday, and he is expected to remain the primary option at the position so long as Seager is out. Meanwhile, Duran has started only four games this season, all of which have come in left field. While Duran may see a slight uptick in playing time with Seager on the injured list, it appears that he is destined to remain a part-time player.

Baez will be in the lineup Friday against the Giants, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Baez was benched in the third inning of Thursday's game against the Blue Jays after making a mental error that led to him being doubled up at second base. After the game, manager A.J. Hinch announced that Baez will return to the lineup Friday. Prior to being benched, he tallied his first extra-base hit of the 2023 season with a double in the second frame.

Mateo went 0-for-3 with two RBI and a steal in Thursday's 8-7 win over the Athletics.

Mateo now leads the MLB with seven stolen bases early in the season after stealing 35 last year, which was second to only Jon Berti. Mateo has gotten off to a decent start with the bat as well, going 10-for-35 with two home runs. He's up to eight RBI after driving in a pair of runs Thursday via a sacrifice fly and a fielder's choice.

Baez was removed from Thursday's game in the third inning after a baserunning error, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Baez was seemingly in for a positive performance, as he tallied his first extra-base hit of the season with a double in the second inning. However, he was doubled up on a routine flyball one batter later, after it appeared he forgot that there was only one out in the frame. He was subsequently pulled from the game, with Jonathan Schoop entering to play third base while Nick Maton shifted from the hot corner to shortstop.

Correa (back) is in the Twins' lineup for Thursday's game versus the Yankees.

He missed the past three games with a back issue but is back at shortstop and batting second Thursday. Correa is off to a rough 6-for-33 start at the plate this season and is still in search of his first home run.

Smith started at shortstop and went 0-for-3 in Wednesday's 10-1 loss to the Royals.

Smith filled in for the injured Corey Seager (hamstring), who is expected to miss at least four weeks. For now, Texas manager Bruce Bochy will keep Marcus Semien, who has played shortstop, at second base and fill the large hole Seager leaves with the lefty-hitting Smith and righty-hitting Ezequiel Duran.

Witt went 3-for-5 with a triple, a run, an RBI and three stolen bases in a 10-1 victory versus Texas on Wednesday.

Witt singled and stole first base in the first inning, setting the tone for a fruitful evening for his fantasy managers. He knocked in a run with a triple his next time up, then singled and swiped both second and third base before scoring in the seventh frame. With his effort on the basepaths, the speedy young shortstop more than doubled his stolen-base total -- which jumped from two to five -- on the campaign. Witt started off slowly this season but is starting to pick up the pace, going 6-for-13 with three runs, two RBI and four thefts over his past three contests.

Franco went 3-for-5 with three doubles, a stolen base and two runs scored in Wednesday's victory over the Red Sox.

Franco continued his hot start, hitting three doubles and swiping his third base this year. The 22-year-old shortstop has now hit safely in 10 of the first 12 games of the season and is slashing .340/.377/.720 through 50 at-bats. While it's unlikely he'll maintain this torrid pace, at least early on this appears to have the makings of a breakout season.

Smith will start at shortstop and bat second in Wednesday's game against Royals.

With Corey Seager landing on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a hamstring strain that is expected to keep him out for at least four weeks, Smith will get the first chance to replace him at shortstop and at his usual spot in the batting order. Manager Bruce Bochy suggested after Tuesday's 8-5 win over Kansas City that he's inclined to keep Marcus Semien at second base while Seager is sidelined, so Smith looks like he could end up seeing most of his playing time at shortstop for the foreseeable future after previously making five starts in left field and one at third base this season. Ezequiel Duran is also expected to factor into the mix at shortstop and could end up filling the short side of a platoon at the position with the lefty-hitting Smith.