MLB Player News

Velazquez will start at second base and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Tigers.

Since he was called up from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday after Bobby Witt (back) was placed on the injured list, Velazquez has started four of the Royals' ensuing five games. He'll be filling in Sunday at the keystone for Michael Massey, but Velazquez could end up being the preferred option at shortstop over Tyler Tolbert while Witt is on the mend. Velazquez has gone 1-for-9 with a stolen base through his first three contests with Kansas City.

Monasterio will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

Monasterio will head into Sunday's contest riding a seven-game hitting streak, during which he's gone 10-for-20 with seven extra-base hits to bring his season-long slash line up to .250/.301/.442. He'll be making his fourth straight start and appears to have supplanted Tsung-Che Cheng as the preferred option at shortstop, but Monasterio likely won't have a long leash as an everyday player. Boston is expected to get Trevor Story (sports hernia) back from the injured list at some point in August, and everyday third baseman Caleb Durbin will begin getting pregame work at shortstop as well in an effort to increase his versatility.

Cheng is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

Though he had been occupying the strong side of a platoon at shortstop with Andruw Monasterio since being called up from Triple-A Worcester on June 26, Cheng finds himself on the bench for a fourth straight matchup versus a right-hander. Monasterio appears to have at least temporarily settled into a near-everyday role at the expense of Cheng, who has produced a lowly .256/.318/.282 slash line through his first 44 plate appearances with Boston.

Montgomery is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros after fouling a pitch off his right shin late in Saturday's 4-1 loss.

The 24-year-old sat out Tuesday after fouling a pitch off the same shin Monday, and manager Will Venable said that Saturday's incident occurred just above the previous one, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Montgomery was able to finish his plate appearance Saturday but will miss at least one start due to the injury, though he's expected to return to action Monday versus the Yankees, per Merkin. Luisangel Acuna will start at shortstop in Sunday's series finale.

Walls (fingers) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.

It's the fourth straight absence for Walls, who hyperextended the middle and ring fingers on his left hand during a slide into second base Wednesday. Tampa Bay has a team day off Monday, so the 30-year-old will have had nearly a week off to recover by the time Tuesday's series opener versus the Rangers rolls around. Ben Williamson is receiving another start at shortstop Sunday for the Rays.

Crawford went 2-for-3 with a double and one RBI in Saturday's 7-1 loss to the Rangers.

Crawford missed four games due to wrist soreness before returning to action Saturday. He was the only Mariner to log multiple hits in this loss and also plated the team's lone run with an RBI double to drive in Luke Raley in the fifth inning. Crawford has hit .250 (12-for-48) in July and .220 on the season, adding a .699 OPS, 10 home runs, 29 RBI, 38 runs scored, 11 doubles and one stolen base through 83 contests this year.

Henderson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 3-2 win over Atlanta.

Henderson put the Orioles up two with a solo shot in the fifth inning, surpassing his homer total from 2025. The shortstop has now hit safely in five of his past six games, tallying five extra-base hits, two RBI, five runs scored and a stolen base during that stretch. On the season, he's slashing .223/.294/.407 with 18 long balls, 45 RBI, 61 runs scored and eight steals across 476 plate appearances.

Crawford (wrist) is starting at third base and batting eighth against the Rangers on Saturday.

Crawford has been sidelined by a sore left wrist for each of the Mariners' last four games, but the veteran infielder has been cleared to return for Saturday's contest. He is slashing .215/.338/.352 with one steal, 10 homers and 28 RBI across 349 plate appearances this season.

Duran started at third base and went 1-for-4 with a run scored in Friday's 5-4 win over Seattle.

Duran made a second consecutive start at third base, while Josh Jung tends to a sore calf. The injury was not considered serious when Jung left Tuesday's game, but the Rangers held him out of Wednesday's game, figuring he'd be ready to go after Thursday's off day. He tested the injury Friday, per Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com, and was unable to go full speed. Wilson added the Rangers will probably need to make a decision about placing Jung on the injured list Saturday. However it plays out, Duran is expected to fill in at third base for as long as needed. He's hit safely in four straight games.

Seager (back) took four at-bats in a simulated live batting practice Friday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Seager landed on the 10-day injured list July 1 due to lower-back inflammation, but he's steadily progressing in his recovery. He's expected to log at least one more live batting practice session before the Rangers' medical staff decides whether he's ready to embark on a rehab assignment.