MLB Player News

DeJong went 3-for-4 with a double and a solo homer in Friday's loss to the Mets.

He's stabilized the shortstop position since taking over from Aledmys Diaz, and DeJong is now slashing .304/.333/.582 with six homers, 12 runs and 13 RBI in his last 22 games. The 2015 fourth-round pick made a quick ascent through the Cards system and while his 4:38 BB:K so far in the majors suggests his batting average is due for some regression, his power numbers are for real -- he slugged 22 homers last year at Double-A and already has 20 between Triple-A Memphis and St, Louis this season.

Diaz is slashing .188/.182/.375 over his first seven games with Triple-A Memphis.

The 26-year-old shortstop has provided some pop in the form of three doubles, a homer and seven RBI, but he's otherwise struggled and has yet to draw a walk. Diaz was somewhat surprisingly sent down to Memphis on June 28 despite a respectable .260 average with the big-league club, with the goal presumably being to have him make a few adjustments at the plate and return as a more effective hitter. A similar approach seems to have worked wonders for outfielder Randal Grichuk, but Diaz actually seems to have regressed in the early going of his minor-league stint.

D'Arnaud was outrighted to Triple-A El Paso on Friday.

The utility infielder was designated for assignment on Independence Day, and it seems like his sub-.200 batting average wasn't enough to warrant any interest while he was exposed to waivers. His major-league experience could make him a trade chip down the line or even a callup candidate in case of injuries, but for now he'll toil in the minors as an organizational depth piece.

Owings went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers.

After producing at least one hit in all but one of his 19 appearances from June 10 to July 4, Owings has turned in back-to-back hitless efforts, going 0-for-8 with six strikeouts. There's no reason for Owings' fantasy owners to panic given the brevity of the slump, but manager Torey Lovullo could look to give the 25-year-old a day off in one game of the Diamondbacks' three-game set with the Reds to close out the first half.

Gordon went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and two stolen bases in Thursday's loss to the Cardinals.

He'd gone nine games without a successful steal, but Gordon now has 31 on the season to go along with 50 runs and a .291 batting average. He won't provide any power, but the 29-year-old is an elite fantasy leadoff man given his strong three-category production.

Cordoba has not appeared in a game since July 1.

The rookie shortstop dealt with a minor hand injury at the tail end of June, but despite not having any sort of setback reported, Cordoba has been held out of the lineup for three consecutive games. It appears that manager Andy Green has opted to roll with Erick Aybar as his everyday shortstop after running a three-way timeshare at the position over the past few weeks. With Chase d'Arnaud being designated for assignment July 4, Cordoba becomes the primary backup at short.

DeJong is out of the lineup Thursday against the Marlins.

DeJong will retreat to the bench for the series finale against Miami following three consecutive starts. With Jedd Gyorko (leg) back in the lineup and playing third base, the Redbirds will place Greg Garcia in at short and give Matt Carpenter a day at second.

Story is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Reds, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Story has just a .488 OPS over the past 14 games, so he'll head to the bench for a night off. Pat Valaika will take over at shortstop for the evening.

Swanson is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Astros.

Swanson finally showed signs of life at the plate last month, batting .306 in 28 games. However, he's been scuffling a bit as of late, and given the fact that he hasn't sat out since the beginning of June, he'll hit the bench Wednesday. Johan Camargo will pick up a start at shortstop in his stead.

Gordon went 3-for-5 with a double and a run in Tuesday's win over St. Louis.

He'd been in a slump over his last 12 games, going only 9-for-43 (.209) with two steals, one RBI and two runs, so this was a welcome turnaround for Gordon's fantasy owners. While his power essentially doesn't exist, Gordon has been a high-quality provider of steals aside from his recent slowdown, as he's sitting on 29 for the season, third in baseball behind only Trea Turner and Billy Hamilton.