MLB Player News

Tovar is not at risk of being demoted despite his poor start to the season, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

An 0-for-3 day Saturday against the Phillies dropped Tovar's slash line to .172/.232/.234 through 19 games. The 21-year-old looks overmatched, and with just five career Triple-A games under his belt, there's certainly a case to be made that he needs more time in the minors. The Rockies seemingly don't intend to make a move any time soon, however, instead letting him work through his slump at the big-league level.

Abrams went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 10-4 win over the Twins.

Abrams doubled the Nationals' lead to 8-2 with a three-run shot off Simeon Woods Richardson in the seventh inning. It's the first homer of the season for the shortstop and he's brought home eight runs over 19 games and 66 at-bats. Abrams has been shaky over the first three-plus weeks of the season, but his speed (3 steals) has brought glimpses of fantasy hope in that short timeframe.

Crawford (ribs) will bat sixth and play shortstop Saturday against the Mets, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Crawford sat Friday due to discomfort in his ribs, but he's evidently good to go Saturday. He's struggled at the plate to start the year, hitting .151/.250/.283, though he does have a pair of home runs through 60 plate appearances.

Giants managers Gabe Kapler said prior to Friday's game against the Mets that Crawford is feeling discomfort in his rib area, Danny Emerman of KNBR 680 San Francisco reports.

Crawford is on the bench Friday due to the injury, though the lefty-hitting shortstop may have been out of the lineup anyway with southpaw Joey Lucchesi taking the hill for the Mets. Kapler noted that Crawford felt discomfort after diving to his left during Thursday's 9-4 loss in the series opener. He should be viewed as day-to-day for the time being.

Crawford is out of the lineup for Friday's contest against the Mets.

He'll sit for a second straight matchup against a southpaw, in this case Joey Lucchesi. With Crawford on the bench, Thairo Estrada will play shortstop with David Villar handling second base duties.

Wendle (intercostal) did cage work and fielded grounders Friday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Wendle is finally making progress from the right intercostal strain that sent him to the injured list back on April 4, and he appears on track to return to the Marlins' active roster sometime next week. Jon Berti has been drawing most of the starts at shortstop in his absence.

Tovar isn't in the Rockies' lineup Friday against the Phillies.

Tovar holds just a .488 OPS on the year, putting him at risk of losing his everyday role at shortstop. Alan Trejo will start in Tovar's place Friday and bat ninth.

Alexander was placed on the 7-day injured list April 14 at Triple-A Reno with a broken right thumb, Michael McDermott of SI.com reports.

Alexander sustained the injury in an April 13 game, when he was hit by a pitch in the bill of the helmet before the ball ricocheted into his thumb. The shortstop is expected to be sidelined for a minimum of six weeks. The injury is a tough break for the 23-year-old, who was making a strong early case for a promotion to the big leagues by submitting a 1.410 OPS and 8:6 BB:K through his first nine games with Reno.

Bogaerts went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and two runs scored in Thursday's 7-5 victory over the Diamondbacks.

Bogaerts is red hot to start off his Padres career, slashing .350/.418/.575 through 21 games. The veteran shortstop now has five home runs and is well on pace to clear his total of 15 from last season.

Tovar went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts Thursday against the Phillies.

Tovar turned in his fifth hitless performance in his last seven games, and he's also struck out multiple times in three of those contests. He's only been out of the lineup twice in 20 matchups this season, so the Rockies are giving him time to work through his struggles at the plate. Particularly given Tovar's lack of experience in the upper minors, it's not overly surprising that he's had to make a significant adjustment to major-league pitching. Even so, he'll have to improve on his .180/.242/.246 line to maintain an everyday role for the rest of the campaign.