MLB Player News

Chang went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Brewers.

Chang took Brandon Woodruff yard in the fifth inning to record his third homer of the campaign. He's started three of the team's last four games, which has come at the expense of Ji-Man Choi. Though a limited sample, Chang has hit .333 with two homers, six RBI and six runs scored in 16 games since joining the Rays.

Lindor went 2-for-3 with a walk, three runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday's 10-2 win over the Reds.

The shortstop extended his run-scoring streak to 13 games with another big performance. Over that stretch, Lindor is batting .417 (20-for-48) with four homers, 14 RBI and 16 runs. Perhaps the only disappointing thing about his recent surge is that he's only stolen one base. The 28-year-old now sports an .813 OPS on the season -- his highest mark since 2019, if he can maintain it.

Cruz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game at Arizona, Jody Jackson of Bally Sports Arizona reports.

Cruz started the past nine games and will receive a day off after posting a .235/.278/.500 slash line with three home runs, seven RBI, five runs and a 38.9 percent strikeout rate during that span. Kevin Neman will move to shortstop while Rodolfo Castro starts at the keystone.

Arcia (hamstring), who was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, said he could return in 3-to-4 weeks, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Arcia suffered the hamstring strain during Tuesday's win over the Red Sox, and it appears he'll be sidelined until at least the start of September. Atlanta is already without Ozzie Albies (foot), so prospect Vaughn Grissom was called up and should receive significantly playing time at second base.

Smith isn't starting Wednesday against Houston.

Smith is out of the lineup for the second time in the last three games after he went 0-for-3 with a run, a stolen base and a strikeout during Tuesday's loss to the Astros. Ezequiel Duran is shifting to third base while Brad Miller serves as the designated hitter.

Basabe has hit .288/.361/.374 with zero home runs, five steals and a 15:18 BB:K through 34 games since being promoted to Double-A Montgomery in late June.

He at least managed to hit four homers and post a .463 slugging percentage over 55 games in High-A ahead of the promotion, but the higher level has served only to highlight Basabe's lack of power. Basabe is essentially a high-contact slap hitter -- he doesn't strike out much and offers good-but-not-great speed on the bases. There could be a place for that in the major leagues, but Basabe is profiling like a utility player who offers little in the way of fantasy value.

Diaz is not in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Rangers.

Diaz will get a day off after he went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Tuesday's win. Chas McCormick will take over in left field and bat seventh versus Texas.

Fletcher will start at second base and bat leadoff in Wednesday's game against the Athletics.

Fletcher will stick atop the lineup for the third consecutive contest, with the Angels facing off against one right-hander (James Kaprielian) and two lefties (Cole Irvin and JP Sears) during that stretch. Though he'll be occupying second base Wednesday, Fletcher looks like he could see more playing time down the stretch at shortstop, a position in which the Angels have struggled to extract production from Andrew Velazquez. Fletcher could be a decent source of batting average, runs and steals if he ends up getting an extended run as the Angels' table setter.

Crawford will sit Wednesday versus the Padres.

Crawford will get a day off after he went 4-for-15 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored over four games since returning from the 10-day injured list Aug. 6. Thairo Estrada will shift to shortstop while Wilmer Flores enters the lineup at second base and bats second in the series finale.

Crawford isn't starting Wednesday against the Yankees.

Crawford is out of the lineup for the first time since July 15 after he went 2-for-18 with an RBI, two walks and a strikeout over the last five games. Dylan Moore will start at shortstop and bat seventh after he was reinstated from the injured list Wednesday.