MLB Player News

Bogaerts will sit Friday against the Guardians, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

This appears to be nothing more than a routine day off for Bogaerts, who winds up with two full days to rest, as the Red Sox had a scheduled off day Thursday. Christian Arroyo will start at shortstop.

Diaz (shoulder) will bat seventh and play shortstop Friday against the Yankees.

Diaz missed the last four games with left shoulder soreness. He returns to a temporary starting role but will likely head back to the bench soon, as Jeremy Pena (thumb) appears close to a return from the injured list.

Smith is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Nationals.

Smith will take a breather after starting two games in a row following a stint on the 10-day injured list due to a shoulder issue. He went 1-for-6 with a walk and a run scored in those contests. Ezequiel Duran will get the start at third base and bat eighth in Friday's matchup.

Pena (thumb) participated in all pregame activities prior to Thursday's matchup against the Yankees, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Pena has steadily increased his workload since landing on the 10-day injured list with left thumb discomfort last week, and he's eligible to be activated as early as Friday. While manager Dusty Baker said Thursday that a Friday return "might be a little quick," the skipper was pleased with Pena's progress, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the shortstop return sometime this weekend or early next week.

Diaz (shoulder) isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Yankees, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Diaz has been dealing with a sore left shoulder and will be out of the lineup for a fourth consecutive game. He was available off the bench Wednesday but was ultimately held off the field. It wouldn't be surprising to see him available off the bench once again Thursday, whileMauricio Dubon will remain at shortstop and bat seventh.

Crawford went 2-for-4 with a two doubles, two RBI and a run in a win over the Athletics on Wednesday.

Crawford wreaked havoc out of the top of the order and knocked in the Mariners' seventh and eighth runs of the game with his fifth-inning double. The veteran shortstop's first multi-hit game since June 11 was a welcome sight, as it snapped a 4-for-34 funk that had encompassed his previous nine contests.

Downs was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Downs went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his MLB debut Wednesday after being called up Monday, but he'll return to Triple-A just one day later. The 23-year-old has struggled to a .180 batting average with 11 homers, 21 RBI, 35 runs and 11 stolen bases over 189 at-bats with Worcester this season. His demotion suggests Christian Arroyo (illness) is nearing a return from the COVID-19 injured list.

Franco (quadriceps) went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Durham on Wednesday.

Franco hit second and started at shortstop but didn't play the full game with two more rehab appearances on tap this week. Assuming all goes well across his three total games with Durham, Franco could be activated Saturday during Tampa Bay's three-game series against Pittsburgh.

Story went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in a 6-2 victory against Detroit on Wednesday.

Story's eighth-inning single extended his modest hitting streak to six games, and he followed with his ninth theft of the campaign. The veteran infielder's .223/.303/.421 slash line on the season remains disappointing, but the steals combined with 11 homers and 48 RBI have allowed him to maintain a fair amount of fantasy value.

Correa went 2-for-5 with a pair of solo home runs in Wednesday's 11-10 loss to the Guardians.

Correa went yard in the first and third innings, but he couldn't get another hit after that. He's gone 11-for-39 (.282) in his last nine games, adding four RBI and five runs scored in that span. The star shortstop hasn't flexed as much power in his first year with the Twins -- he has seven homers and a .466 slugging percentage while adding 23 RBI, 27 runs scored and 12 doubles across 47 contests overall.