MLB Player News

The Braves called infielder Pedro Ciriaco up from Triple-A Gwinnett, the team announced on Saturday. 

Ciriaco has played 188 MLB games with four different teams over the last five years. He was hitting .234 with a home run and seven RBI with Gwinnett.

To make room, the Braves optioned LHP Ian Thomas to Gwinnett. Thomas had a 2.70 ERA in four appearances for the Braves this year. 

After getting the day off on Tuesday, Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford returned to the lineup on Wednesday with a bang. Crawford went 2 for 3 with a walk, a double and a two-run home run, as the Giants fell to the Dodgers 7-3. It was Crawford's fourth longball of the season.

Crawford has a slash line of .345/.472/.690, with two home runs, six RBI and five runs scored over his last 10 games.  

Giants second baseman Joe Panik and shortstop Brandon Crawford are back in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Dodgers, the team announced.

Panik has altered starts with Matt Duffy for the last four games, with Wednesday being Panik's second start in four games. Panik is hitting .296 in 71 at-bats this season. Crawford got just his second day off the season Tuesday with Joaquin Arias getting the start.

Crawford is hitting .215 in 65 at-bats this season.

Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon went 2 for 4 with a double in the Marlins' win over the Mets on Tuesday. 

Gordon has hit in five straight game and has multi-hit games in four of them. He has 12 hits in his last 21 at bats. 

Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollock is leading off and shortstop Chris Owings is batting second in Tuesday's matchup with the Rockies.

The alignment is the same from last Tuesday, which was the last time Ender Inciarte was out of the lineup as he is against the Rockies. However, Owings getting just his second start of the season at shortstop, having seen most of his action at second base.

The Diamondbacks are favorites (-115) against the Rockies Tuesday.

Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed is off to at slow start at the plate. The young player is hitting just .125 in 48 at-bats this season.

"Obviously nobody wants to start slow," said Ahmed to MLB.com. "It's a long season, there's a ton of at-bats to come, a ton of games to play. I just wish the last few games I could have put together some better at-bats to help the team win."

Ahmed also struggled with his swing in Triple-A last season as well as Double-A in 2013.

"We're making a lot of demands on him with his swing," D-backs manager Chip Hale said. "We're kind of talking to him about some things that we need him to do to be a better Major League hitter. We talked about it in Spring Training, he did it, he's getting a little bit away from it right now. But the main thing, I think, with Nick right now is pitch selection."

Ahmed is trying to not let the struggles get to him.

"Just have to stay level-headed," Ahmed said. "I lean on people that have good advice, and just stay calm and not overanalyze. Just trying to stay even keeled and go out and play."

Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon went 4 for 5 in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Nationals but did not have any runs, RBI or extra-base hits.

The four-hit performance caps off a big series for the second baseman, as Gordon went 8 for 13 with one walk, one RBI and one stolen base during his team's three-game sweep of the Nationals. He has hit .390/.407/.463 with eight stolen bases, 10 RBI and 10 runs scored in 82 at-bats.

Diamondbacks right fielder Mark Trumbo is on the bench for Saturday's game against the Pirates, with Ender Inciarte moving to right field and David Peralta taking over in left, the team announced.

Trumbo had started four consecutive games for Arizona and will get the day off. Also out of the lineup Saturday is Yasmany Tomas, moving Aaron Hill back to third base. Tomas has started two games at third since being called up and is hitting .400 in 10 at-bats. Cliff Pennington also replaces Nick Ahmed at shortstop, who started the last nine games in a row.

The Diamondbacks are currently the underdogs (+120) against Pittsburgh.

Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon collected three hits in four at-bats in Friday's victory against the Marlins to improve his batting average to .370 on the season.

Gordon entered Friday's game tied for first in the National League with 24 hits (Adrian Gonzalez).

Diamondbacks second baseman Chris Owings went 2 for 3 with a solo home run and an RBI triple in his team's 8-5 win over the Rangers Wednesday.

The triple and the home run were the first of the season for each for Owings, who helped his team build up an 8-1 lead by the eighth inning and held on for a win despite a ninth-inning charge from the Rangers. Owings had managed just two extra-base hits coming into Wednesday's game but is now hitting .220/.250/.360 with six RBI in 50 at-bats while striking out 18 times.