Smith (elbow) is starting at shortstop and batting second against the Twins on Wednesday.

Smith was held out of Tuesday's series opener due to a left elbow infection, but he has been cleared to play in Wednesday's tilt. He has not recorded a hit in any of his last four games and has gone 11-for-55 (.200) with three steals, six runs and one RBI since Sept. 1.

Baez (neck) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Baez was originally in Tuesday's lineup against Cleveland but was scratched ahead of the first pitch due to neck stiffness. He evidently needs another day, and Trey Sweeney is manning shortstop for the Tigers and batting ninth.

Cauley slashed .276/.333/.530 with nine home runs, seven steals and a 23.9 percent strikeout rate in his final 44 games for Double-A Frisco.

Cauley finished the season in style, going 4-for-4 with a walk-off home run in the final game of the season Sept. 14 against Northwest Arkansas. Long known as a fantastic athlete and versatile up-the-middle defender, Cauley's strikeout issues have held him back in prior years. He struck out 29.2 percent of the time as a 21-year-old at High-A last year and 31.6 percent of the time in the lower levels in 2023, so the fact he logged his best strikeout rate as a pro (24.7 percent) in his first season at Double-A is an encouraging sign. Cauley split time between shortstop (45 starts), center field (42 starts) and second base (25 starts) this season and should get added to the 40-man roster this winter to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Montgomery went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Yankees.

He provided all the offense for the White Sox by taking Luis Gil deep in the sixth inning. It was Montgomery's 19th homer of the year in the big leagues and his 30th across all levels, but his first since Sept. 5, snapping a 14-game power drought. Through his first 66 MLB contests, the rookie shortstop is slashing .221/.295/.498 with a 29.5 percent strikeout rate.

Witt went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and one run scored in Tuesday's 8-4 victory over the Angels.

Witt contributed to the hit parade with two hits base knocks, including a two-run double in the eighth inning that put the Royals' lead out of reach. The shortstop has finished the regular season strong, posting a 1.007 OPS with six extra-base hits and six RBI over his past eight games. While his 2025 numbers don't quite match his monster 2024 campaign (.977 OPS with 30 homers and 30 steals), he's still delivered an impressive .853 OPS with 44 doubles, six triples, 23 homers, 84 RBI and 37 stolen bases across 152 games.

Wilson went 2-for-2 with a double, two walks, one RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Astros.

This was the shortstop's sixth multi-hit effort in September. He's batting .343 (24-for-70) this month while adding seven extra-base hits but just five RBI over 19 contests. Wilson has maintained a steady presence in the lineup, slashing .318/.362/.453 with 13 home runs, 25 doubles, 60 RBI, 62 runs scored and five stolen bases through 121 games overall.

Pena (oblique) isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Athletics.

Pena was a late scratch from the lineup Sunday due to oblique soreness, and he'll need to miss at least one more start Tuesday while he recovers. Mauricio Dubon will take over at shortstop for the Astros and bat ninth.

Manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday that Seager (abdomen) will miss the rest of the season, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Seager recently resumed light baseball activities after undergoing an appendectomy in late August, but the team won't bother rushing him back now that they sit five games back of a wild-card spot with only six left to play. Despite missing time this year with hamstring injuries in addition to his recent procedure, the 31-year-old slashed .271/.373/.487 while collecting 21 home runs, 50 RBI, 61 runs and three stolen bases across 102 games.

Baez was scratched from the lineup ahead of Tuesday's game versus Cleveland due to neck stiffness.

Baez will take a day off to rehab his neck injury, opening up an opportunity for Trey Sweeney to start at shortstop and bat ninth for the Tigers.

Smith was scratched from the lineup ahead of Tuesday's game versus the Twins due to an elbow infection, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Smith had originally been slated to start at shortstop and bat third Tuesday, but his elbow will instead cause him to miss the series opener. Ezequiel Duran will fill in as Texas' shortstop and bat ninth.