MLB Player News

Allen will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Royals, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Allen will stick in the lineup for the fifth time in six games, with three of his starts coming at second base and two coming at shortstop. The keystone looks like a clearer path to playing time for Allen, as the Athletics can move Tony Kemp off second base and deploy him in the corner outfield to facilitate room in the lineup for the rookie. Allen's stint as a near-everyday player will likely last as long as he remains useful at the plate. Through his first four games since his call-up from Triple-A, Allen has gone 3-for-11 with a home run, a double, three walks, three RBI and three runs.

The Rays activated Franco (quadriceps) from the 10-day injured list Sunday. He'll start at shortstop and bat second in the Rays' series finale with the Pirates, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Franco was on the shelf for just under a month with a left quad strain, but the 21-year-old looks ready to go after recently wrapping up a five-game rehab assignment in the minors. He'll immediately slot back in as Tampa Bay's everyday shortstop, leaving Taylor Walls and Vidal Brujan to vie for playing time at the keystone.

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.

Diaz, who started the last two games after missing four straight contests due to right shoulder soreness, is expected to move back into a utility role on a full-time basis moving forward after the Astros reinstated top shortstop Jeremy Pena (thumb) from the 10-day injured list Sunday. While Pena was sidelined for approximately two weeks, Diaz went 4-for-22 with a double, a walk, two runs and zero RBI while serving as Houston's primary shortstop.

Houston reinstated Pena (thumb) from the 10-day injured list Sunday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. He'll start at shortstop and bat sixth in the Astros' series finale in New York versus the Yankees.

The Astros optioned outfielder Chas McCormick to Triple-A Sugar Land to clear room on the 26-man active roster for Pena, who had been sidelined since June 13 with left thumb discomfort. Though the rookie wasn't sent out on a minor-league rehab assignment while he was on the shelf, he proved his health by completing multiple workouts that included a full array of baseball activities. Expect Pena to immediately reclaim duties as the Astros' everyday shortstop after batting .277 with nine home runs, six stolen bases, 27 RBI and 27 runs in 54 games prior to landing on the IL.

Smith started at third base and went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Saturday's 3-2 win over Washington.

Smith, who stole 21 bases in the minors last year, swiped his second bag since joining the Rangers and has a combined 10 in the minors and majors in 2022. With Saturday's news that Ezequiel Duran was optioned back to the minors, Smith should get a steady supply of plate appearances as Texas' primary third baseman.

Baez went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Saturday's win over the Diamondbacks.

Baez was also caught stealing for the first time this season in four attempts and was picked off first base, too, so his stat line could have been better. This was actually a pretty tame performance for the shortstop compared to other recent results. He crushed a grand slam Friday and homered in his two games before that as well, recording seven total RBI across the three contests. Baez can be a streaky player, but when he's in a groove, he typically delivers elite fantasy production. It looks like he's in a groove right now.

Bichette went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's loss against the Brewers.

Bichette's solo shot came in the eighth inning with the Blue Jays down four runs. It was his second home run in three games, his fifth this month and his 12th on the year. The shortstop has a hit in seven of his last eight games, but he also has 13 strikeouts during that span, and he's posted a .256 average on the season.

Mateo went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, a walk and three runs scored in a 6-2 win over the White Sox on Saturday.

Mateo isn't known for his power bat, but the speedster had an excellent night at the plate with two extra-base hits, including his fifth home run of the season. The No. 9 hitter has a paltry .583 OPS this season, but he is 19-for-22 in steal attempts and is tied for the second-most stolen bases in MLB.

Witt went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's loss to Oakland.

Witt put the Royals on the board in the bottom of the third on a solo shot off Jared Koenig. The rookie has a hit in back-to-back games after picking up two Saturday and has a total of six hits in his last four games. The home run was Witt's 11th of the year and goes along with 10 steals and a .243/.286/.468 slash line.

Allen went 1-for-3 with an RBI double and two runs scored in Saturday's victory over Kansas City.

Allen sent Elvis Andrus home on an RBI double in the fourth inning, then came around to score two batters later thanks to a Jonah Bride single. Allen also scored on Tony Kemp's homer in the eighth inning. The shortstop has seen limited time this season, but he has played in four games this week and picked up a hit in three of them. Allen will have to continue to hit if he wants to stay in the lineup.