MLB Player News

Washington recalled Downs from Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Downs could get regular playing time on the Nationals' infield following Wednesday's demotion of Luis Garcia, but the 25-year-old former top prospect doesn't offer much immediate fantasy appeal given how poorly he's performed this summer in the minors. In his 45 games (166 plate appearances) between the rookie-level Florida Complex League, High-A Wilmington and Triple-A Rochester this season, Downs was slashing just .165/.319/.308 with three home runs and eight stolen bases. Per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post, Michael Chavis and Ildemaro Vargas will also be in the mix for starts at the keystone.

Turner is hitting eighth Thursday against the Marlins.

He hit seventh in the lineup July 29, and had hit sixth in the lineup the past three games, but this represents a new low for Turner. The big-ticket free agent signee is slashing .238/.303/.369 with five home runs and 14 steals in 52 games since June 1.

Rojas went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 10-1 win over the Athletics.

Rojas ended his season-long homer drought with a third-inning solo shot. He also snapped an 0-for-8 skid from his last three games. For now, the Dodgers' trade additions of Amed Rosario and Enrique Hernandez are not costing Rojas playing time at shortstop, but his spot can't be considered safe when his bat is cold. He's slashing just .217/.272/.273 with a homer, 13 RBI, 30 runs scored and seven stolen bases through 79 contests this season.

Perdomo went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Giants.

Perdomo did his part in the first inning, but that was the extent of his hitting contributions for the game. The shortstop is hitting .286 (16-for-56) since the All-Star break, though just four of those hits have gone for extra bases. He's at a solid .274/.380/.406 slash line with 13 steals, five home runs, 37 RBI and 48 runs scored over 91 contests this season. Perdomo continues to bat leadoff against right-handers while often sitting out versus southpaws in favor of Nick Ahmed.

Swanson went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 16-6 win over the Reds.

Swanson also struck out three times, but that can be overlooked because he's now gone deep in three straight games, including hitting two long balls Tuesday. The shortstop got off to a relatively slow start in the power department with the Cubs, but he now has 16 home runs on the season and could match or exceed the 25 long balls he tallied a year ago with Atlanta.

Bogaerts went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's win over Colorado.

Bogaerts hasn't been hitting for much power recently (he has just one home run since July 4), though he's remained productive at the plate, going 25-for-79 (.316) over his last 20 contests. The 30-year-old shortstop would add his 12th stolen base of the year Wednesday, leaving him three shy of his career high set back in 2017. Bogaerts is now slashing .266/.344/.396 with 11 homers, 52 runs scored and 37 RBI across 442 plate appearances in his first season with the Padres.

Downs is expected to be called up from Triple-A Rochester ahead of Friday's series opener against the Reds, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The 25-year-old hasn't exactly put his best foot forward for Rochester this season with a .175/.301/.333 slash line in 36 games, but that won't prevent him from getting a look in the majors. Downs was up with the big club for a few weeks early in the season and saw action in just one contest, but he'll likely see the field more this time around after the Nationals demoted Luis Garcia, who has operated as the primary second baseman all season.

De La Cruz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

The standout rookie will sit for just the third time since receiving the call to the majors in early June. Nick Senzel will enter the lineup at third base in place of De La Cruz, who heads to the bench after going 1-for-9 with six strikeouts and a walk between the first two games of the series in Chicago.

Berti is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

Berti will head to the bench for the first time since July 21, ending a streak of nine consecutive starts in which he saw action at third base, shortstop and in left field. The Marlins moved on from Jean Segura ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline but acquired two player (Josh Bell and Jake Burger) who are expected to start on a regular basis, so Berti could end up finding himself on the bench more frequently. Berti's ability to play all over the infield and outfield should at least keep him in the mix for a handful of starts per week as other players get days off or miss time due to injury.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Cruz (ankle) could begin a rehab assignment later this month, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Tomczyk has been unwilling to put an official timeline on Cruz's return while the young shortstop works back from surgery to address a fractured left ankle he sustained April 9, but the organization remains confident the 24-year-old will return to the big club at some point in 2023. According to Jerry DiPaola of TribLive.com, Tomczyk said last week that Cruz has been able to move on the field laterally to corral groundballs and was also playing catch out to 150 feet. Cruz still has a few hurdles to clear -- notably, taking live batting practice, running the bases and taking part in full fielding drills -- before beginning a rehab assignment, but he could realistically be ready to report to an affiliate at some point in the second half of August.