MLB Player News

Bichette went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a pair of runs scored in Thursday's 9-3 win over the Twins.

Bichette had gone 2-for-16 across his last five games prior to breaking out of the mini-slump Thursday. He was able to score as part of the Blue Jays' rallies in the sixth and eighth innings. The shortstop lifted his season slash line to .260/.303/.419 with 14 home runs, 56 RBI, 57 runs scored, seven stolen bases and 26 doubles through 104 contests.

Smith isn't starting Thursday against the White Sox, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Although right-hander Johnny Cueto is on the mound for the White Sox on Thursday, Smith will head to the bench after he went 3-for-8 with two walks and three strikeouts over the last three games. Ezequiel Duran is starting at third base while Elier Hernandez serves as the designated hitter.

Velazquez will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Thursday's game against the Athletics, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Velazquez will crack the lineup for the fourth time in five games, and he could handle a near-everyday role in the short term if the Angels elect to give Luis Rengifo more exposure to third base rather than leaning on struggling veteran Phil Gosselin at the position. Though the Angels appear to value Velazquez's defense in the middle infield, he's produced an anemic .487 OPS in 262 plate appearances. Velazquez's 12-for-12 success rate on stolen-base attempts has been the only thing propping up his fantasy value.

Fletcher is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Fletcher is 5-for-17 with two doubles, a home run, three RBI and three runs in five games since returning from the injured list, and he'll take a seat Sunday for the third time in the Angels' past five contests. Luis Rengifo and Andrew Velazquez will start at second base and shortstop Thursday.

Mateo went 0-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Rangers.

Two of the top three base-stealers play for Baltimore, with Mateo (26) and Cedric Mullins (23) trailing only Miami's Jon Berti's (groin) major-league-leading 28. In his last 11 games, Mateo's provided a more well-rounded line with three home runs, four steals, eight RBI and eight runs scored. He's batted .297 in that span to lift his season average to .216 through 97 contests overall.

Bogaerts went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-1 loss to the Astros.

Bogaerts' ninth-inning solo shot would turn out to be the only offense for Boston on Wednesday. It was his ninth home run of the year. The shortstop is already halfway to his home run total for July. Bogaerts is slashing an impressive .312/.387/.460 after Wednesday's performance, although he is trending toward his lowest home run total in a full season since he hit 10 in 2017.

Witt went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss against the White Sox.

Witt launched a solo shot in the sixth inning, the only run scored for the Royals. It was Witt's 15th home run of the year. The rookie's batting average has been getting better each month. He hit .216 in April, .243 in May, .263 in June, and .294 in July. The result is a .255 batting average for the season. One problem Witt has yet to solve is how to cut down on strikeouts. He had more strikeouts than hits in each month except July and already has three strikeouts this month.

Allen is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Allen started the past four contests and will head to the bench after going 2-for-11 with two doubles and an RBI. Tony Kemp will shift to the keystone while Chad Pinder starts in left field.

Fletcher went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 3-1 win over Oakland.

Fletcher has been hurt most of the season, so Tuesday was only his 18th game. He led off the home half of the first inning with a solo shot to left field, giving the Angels an early lead that they did not relinquish. The long ball was Fletcher's first of the season, and he's slashing a meager .212/.255/.385 over 55 plate appearances. However, he's shown promising signs since returning from the injured list, going 5-for-14 with three extra-base hits across four games.

Mateo went 2-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI in Tuesday's 8-2 win over the Rangers.

Mateo opened and closed the Orioles' scoring Tuesday. He hit a three-run blast in the third inning and added insurance with a two-run homer in the ninth. This was his first game with multiple homers in his major-league career. The shortstop is up to 10 long balls, 32 RBI, 40 runs scored, 25 stolen bases and a .218/.264/.392 slash line through 96 contests. While his season batting average isn't impressive, Mateo has hit .313 (21-for-67) in his last 20 games.