MLB Player News

Seager (forearm) is starting at shortstop and hitting second Friday against the Angels.

He missed a couple games after getting hit by a pitch Tuesday, but fortunately it seems to have been just a bruise. Seager is slashing .202/.257/.362 with three home runs in 23 games this month.

Barger was promoted to Triple-A Buffalo in mid-September and went 11-for-31 (.355) with three homers and a 5:5 BB:K over eight games.

There was no level of baseball where pitchers were able to slow Barger down this season. A relatively unheralded prospect coming into the year, he rocketed from High-A to Triple-A over the course of the campaign, posting a spectacular composite slash line of .308/.378/.555 with 26 homers and 91 steals. A somewhat high strikeout rate is the only mark against him as a hitter, but Barger was able to trim that toward the end of the season too. The one complicating factor for the 22-year-old is that he's not an especially good fielder at either third base or shortstop, and the Jays are set at both of those positions for at least 2023. For Barger to find a place on Toronto's roster next year, he may have to move to second base or settle for a utility role.

Crawford went 1-for-5 with a game-winning infield single and a walk in an extra-innings victory over the Rangers on Thursday.

Crawford rapped out a sharp liner that caromed off the glove of third baseman Josh Jung into short left field to plate Dylan Moore with the winning run in the 11th inning. It's been a productive week thus far on the RBI front for the veteran shortstop, as he's knocked in four runs over the last five games to get within four of the second-highest total of his career in that category (46).

Franco went 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored and two steals in Thursday's 2-1 loss against the Guardians.

Franco recorded a double off righty starter Cal Quantrill in addition to nabbing second base twice. The shortstop has recorded three steals in his last three games and has recorded one hit or more in 14 of his last 15 contests. Furthermore, the 21-year-old has tallied six doubles over his last nine games.

Baez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and two runs scored in Thursday's 10-3 win over the Royals.

Baez played a big role in the blowout win with his 16th home run of the season leading the way. He's still just over half of the way to the 31 long balls he hit in 2021, as his production has dipped across the board in his first year with the Tigers. Baez is still capable of breaking out in 2023, and he figures to come at a discount in fantasy drafts.

Fletcher (hand) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Thursday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Fletcher spent just over the minimum of 10 days on the injured list with a bone bruise in his hand, but he resumed swinging recently and has been cleared for game action for the final few days of the regular season. The 28-year-old is starting Thursday against Oakland and should see plenty of playing time for the Angels over the next week.

Seager (forearm) isn't starting Thursday against the Mariners.

Seager has been dealing with a bruised left forearm since Tuesday and underwent X-rays that came back negative, but he'll be held out of the lineup for a second consecutive game. Josh Smith will take over at shortstop and bat ninth.

Story (heel) is dealing with an illness and is unlikely to play again this season, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

The Red Sox hoped to get Story back from the heel injury before the season came to a close, but his illness will prevent him from traveling for Boston's upcoming series in Toronto, and he's unlikely to be activated for the three-game set versus Tampa Bay next week. Assuming Story is indeed done for the year, the trio of Christian Arroyo, Enrique Hernandez and Yu Chang will hold down second base the rest of the way.

Smith started at shortstop and went 0-for-2 with a walk and a caught stealing in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Mariners.

Smith started in place of the injured Corey Seager (forearm), who may have avoided serious damage after being plunked by a pitch Tuesday, though it's unclear how much time Seager will miss. With left-hander Marco Gonzales on the bump Thursday for the Mariners, the left-handed hitting Smith may take a seat even if Seager is not ready to return.

Seager (forearm) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

Seager suffered a bruised left forearm from a hit-by-pitch Tuesday and will be sidelined for at least one game. The 28-year-old had X-rays come back negative, so he appears to have avoided a serious injury and should be considered day-to-day. Josh Smith will move to shortstop while Kole Calhoun takes Seager's spot in the lineup.