MLB Player News

Ahmed is not in the lineup Thursday against the Padres.

Ahmed has remained a consistent presence in the lineup, even as the team has begun to skew playing time towards younger players. He's also hit well since the calendar flipped to August, maintaining a .263 average while driving in six and scoring five runs across 10 games. However, Josh Rojas will start at shortstop Thursday while Josh VanMeter enters the lineup at second base.

Baez (back) is out of the lineup for the second game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Nationals.

Baez hasn't started since Sunday while he continues to manage lower-back tightness, but his usage as a pinch hitter off the bench Wednesday in the resumption of Tuesday's suspended game implies that the Mets are optimistic he'll avoid the injured list. Jonathan Villar will once again fill in at shortstop for Baez, who will hope to return to the lineup for Friday's series opener versus the Dodgers.

Crawford went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBI in Wednesday's 7-2 win over Arizona.

The 34-year-old came up a triple shy of the cycle in Wednesday's contest. Through nine games in August, Crawford has logged five multi-hit efforts, although his homer Wednesday was his first since July 10. The shortstop owns a strong .295/.362/.542 slash line with 19 long balls, 69 RBI, 57 runs scored and nine stolen bases through 367 plate appearances.

Baez (back) will sit for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Nationals.

Baez has been dealing with hip and back issues for the past few days and hasn't started since Sunday. He isn't expected to start the second game of the day either, per Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News, though he'll be available off the bench. Jonathan Villar starts at shortstop in his absence.

Baez (back) isn't starting the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Nationals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Baez wasn't in Tuesday's lineup due to tightness in his lower back, but he appeared as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-1 with a strikeout. He'll likely be available off the bench again in Wednesday's nightcap, but Jonathan Villar will start at shortstop and bat seventh.

McLain debuted for High-A Dayton on Wednesday, starting at shortstop while going 4-for-5 with a home run, a double and five RBI.

McLain, the No. 17 overall pick in July's first-year player draft, appeared in two games for the Reds' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate before Cincinnati assigned him to High-A. The fact that McLain is bypassing Low-A entirely isn't completely shocking, given that he was regarded as one of the more advanced hitters of his draft class following a three-year college career at UCLA. A move to second base or center field may be in the cards for McLain down the road, but his excellent hit tool, plus baserunning skills and burgeoning pop make him an intriguing player to monitor in dynasty leagues.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Cruz (forearm) has resumed taking full swings in the batting cage, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Pittsburgh anticipates that Cruz will take another step forward in his recovery from a forearm strain later in the week, when he's scheduled to face pitching in live batting practice. Because Cruz has been out since late June with the injury, he'll likely require a rehab assignment in the lower levels of the minors before Double-A Altoona reinstates him from the 7-day injured list.

Rojas will start at shortstop and bat leadoff Wednesday in San Diego, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

With Jazz Chisholm having moved back to the COVID-19 injured list earlier this week after a brief return to the active roster, Rojas has locked down the Marlins' leadoff job. Rojas could end up sticking as the Marlins' table setter once Chisholm returns, given how well he's performed of late. He'll carry a six-game hitting streak into Wednesday's series finale, with Rojas having gone 9-for-23 with a home run, two doubles, two stolen bases, a walk, five runs and three RBI over that stretch.

Lindor (oblique) took batting practice on the field and participated in fielding drills Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Lindor has been taking grounders since the end of July, but he resumed swinging late last week and took another step by hitting on the field Wednesday. The Mets view this week as important in the shortstop's recovery process, and the team remains hopeful that he'll return from the injured list prior to the end of the month.

Barrero has hit .299/.385/.555 with nine homers, seven steals, 30 RBI and 23 runs across 36 games since being promoted to Triple-A Louisville.

The 23-year-old hasn't picked up a ton of hype, but he's certainly been earning it by mashing first at Double-A and now at Triple-A, where he's actually flashed an even better power stroke. Barrero made the unusual jump from High-A to the majors last year and struggled about as much as you'd expect from someone in that situation, but it looks like he'll be much better prepared the next time he gets the call to Cincy. There's still some swing-and-miss in his game, but his power-speed combo is enticing enough to be worth the risk.