MLB Player News

Diamondbacks farm director Shaun Larkin said Saturday that Lawlar (thumb) will play in rehab games next week in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League and is on track for a full return from Triple-A Reno's 60-day injured list in two weeks, Jesse Friedman of GoPHNX.com reports.

Lawlar underwent surgery in late March to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb and has been progressing on schedule. The 21-year-old shortstop should push to join the Diamondbacks eventually but first needs to knock off some rust in the minors.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that Turner (hamstring) ran at a higher intensity Saturday, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Turner could progress to running the bases as soon as the Phillies' series in San Francisco against the Giants which begins Monday. He will need to complete that step and also see live pitching before being cleared to begin a rehab assignment, but rehab games wouldn't seem to be too terribly far off if he continues moving in the right direction.

Luciano isn't in the Giants' lineup for Saturday's game against the Mets.

Luciano has filled in as San Francisco's primary shortstop since Nick Ahmed went down with a wrist injury, but he will get a breather Saturday after going 3-for-4 during Friday's win in the series opener. Brett Wisely will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Luciano's absence.

Tovar went 4-for-6 with a double and two RBI in Friday's victory over Philadelphia.

Tovar had a career night against the Phillies, collecting his first ever four-hit game and driving home the winning run in extras. The Colorado shortstop has been hot over his last 10 games, batting .347 (17-for-49) with three homers, eight runs scored and eight RBI. Overall, Tovar sports a .285/.317/.473 slash line in 221 plate appearances this season.

Betts went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a walk in Friday's loss to the Reds.

Betts led the game off with a single, knocked an RBI double in the second inning and added another double in the fourth. He entered Friday in a small slump, going 4-for-22 (.182) over his previous six contests. Despite the skid, he's hitting .291 through 20 games this month. Betts is slashing .338/.438/.554 with 25 extra-base hits through 240 plate appearances on the season.

Atlanta optioned Williams to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

The 27-year-old had his contract selected by Atlanta in mid-April, but he tallied just four plate appearances during his month with the big club. Joey Wendle was signed to a major-league contract Friday and is taking Williams' place on the roster.

Williams got the start at third base Thursday and went 0-for-2 in a win over the Cubs.

Zack Short has seen the bulk of the playing time at the hot corner while Austin Riley (side) has been on the shelf, but Williams got his first start of the season at any position Thursday, although he didn't do much with the opportunity. The 27-year-old utility player has only two other plate appearances on the season, and he's still looking for his first hit of 2024.

Wisely went 2-for-4 with one RBI and one stolen base in Thursday's 7-6 win over the Pirates.

Wisely's playing time has been sparse, but he went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and one RBI over his first five major-league games of the season. He got the start at shortstop Thursday and delivered with a multi-hit effort, as well as his first steal of the campaign. The utility man hit .175 with a .498 OPS, two home runs and two steals over 131 plate appearances in the majors last year. Wisely can cover the middle infield and all three outfield spots, but it's unlikely he comes anywhere near steady playing time in 2024.

Kim went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and two stolen bases in Thursday's 6-4 extra-inning win over the Reds.

Kim seemingly has a green light to run right now -- he's logged five steals over his last five games, going 5-for-15 with five walks in that span. The shortstop is up to 13 thefts on 14 attempts this season, putting him roughly on pace to match his total of 38 steals in 2023. Kim has a .216/.335/.369 slash line with six home runs, 22 RBI, 25 runs scored, four doubles and two triples over 52 games, but his recent hitting suggests he may be turning things around. Kim still figures to hit in the bottom half of the order most of the time.

Winn went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two total runs scored in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Orioles.

Winn's seventh-inning solo shot ended up being the difference in the game. The shortstop is on a roll, having hit safely in his last 11 contests. During that span, he's gone 15-for-41 (.366) with two homers, seven RBI and two stolen bases. He's up to a .295/.348/.432 slash line over 157 plate appearances this season, and he's now hit leadoff against the last two southpaws the Cardinals have faced.