MLB Player News

Manager Alex Cora said he's hopeful Story (hand) can return to the lineup at some point during the Red Sox's weekend series with the Yankees, implying the second baseman will be on the bench for games Wednesday and Thursday against the Rays, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Story was cleared of any structural damage to his bruised right hand after he was hit by a pitch in Tuesday's loss, but he looks like he'll still be forced to miss at least a couple games due to the injury. Jeter Downs replaced Story on Tuesday and could serve as the Red Sox's primary option at the keystone until Story is cleared to play again.

Story (hand) underwent X-rays that came back negative Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Story was diagnosed with a right hand contusion after leaving Tuesday's game against the Rays, and his X-rays confirmed that he isn't dealing with structural damage. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available for Wednesday's matchup in Tampa Bay, but he should be considered day-to-day for now.

Rojas went 0-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Pirates.

The shortstop beat out a potential double-play grounder in the fifth inning, swiped second base and then came home on a Nick Fortes single. Rojas hasn't done much at the plate so far in July, going 9-for-36 (.250) with only one RBI, but he has stolen two of his six bases on the season during the month.

Rocchio has hit .380/.432/.658 with five homers, three steals and a 7:9 BB:K over his last 19 games for Double-A Akron.

He was struggling mightily before this recent stretch, as Rocchio's first 48 games of 2022 saw him hit just .205/.308/.313 with a 19.6 percent strikeout rate; he's nearly halved that during this hot streak, striking out at just a 10.1 percent clip. He struggled particularly badly for a while after returning from a concussion, so this could simply be a sign that he's gotten right physically over the last month.

Mauricio, who hasn't started for Double-A Binghamton since July 3 due to a bruised hand, is expected to return to the lineup Wednesday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Mauricio was able to make an appearance off the bench Tuesday as a pinch hitter, and assuming he didn't experience any setbacks with his hand, he should be back in action Wednesday either at designated hitter or shortstop. The 21-year-old is slashing .250/.283/.482 with 15 home runs and 11 stolen bases across 300 plate appearances with Binghamton on the season.

Downs entered Tuesday's game for an injured Trevor Story (hand) and went 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Rays.

Story swung at a pitch that hit his right hand -- it was ruled a foul ball -- and was replaced by Downs. If Story is required to miss time, Downs figures to be the logical replacement with Christian Arroyo (groin) on the injured list.

Seager went 1-for-5 with a walk and a solo home run in Tuesday's 14-7 extra-innings loss to the Athletics.

Seager's solo shot was responsible for the first of two runs scored in the bottom of the ninth that sent the game into extras. He's homered in five consecutive games and six of the last seven. Seager's enjoying his first year at Globe Life Field, belting 15 of his 21 homers in Arlington.

Diaz went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI, two runs scored and two walks in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Angels.

Diaz hit a two-run home run in the first inning to open the scoring and extend his hitting streak to seven games. In that span, he's gone 11-for-28 (.393) with three of his six homers this season. The versatile 31-year-old is seeing steady playing time in left field, and he's ran with it. He's up to a .241/.295/.382 slash line with 20 RBI, 19 runs scored and a stolen base through 183 plate appearances this year.

Turner went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and two additional runs during Tuesday's 7-6 loss to St. Louis.

Turner singled and scored in the third inning, slugged a two-run home run in the fifth and scored after reaching on catcher's interference in the seventh. The three runs mark the 29-year-old's most in a game this season while the home run was his fist since June 28, though Turner did log five doubles during the 11-game drought. The shortstop has heated up considerably during his last three games, batting 5-for-13 over his last three games after a prior 1-for-15 stretch.

Baez went 2-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Royals.

Baez has gone just 10-for-51 so far this month, though he has managed four doubles and two home runs. That's kept the shortstop's fantasy value afloat, but fantasy managers would certainly like to see more consistent contact. Baez is batting ,214 for the season, down from .265 last year with the Cubs and Mets.