MLB Player News

Crawford has been suspended five games for his role in Sunday's brawl with the Angels, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Crawford was one of seven players to be suspended for the incident, though his ban was among the longest of the group. He is appealing the discipline, so he remains in the Mariners' lineup as the starting shortstop while hitting leadoff Monday against the Orioles.

Castillo is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Nationals.

Castillo started each of the past five games and went 4-for-20 with three solo home runs over that stretch, but he benefited in part from lineup regulars Ke'Bryan Hayes and Oneil Cruz sitting out three and one of those contests, respectively. Both Hayes and Cruz are in the lineup Monday, and with Josh VanMeter (finger) also back from the 10-day injured list and Tucupita Marcano (illness) likely to come off the COVID-19-related IL by the end of the week, the Pirates suddenly have a logjam in the infield. The righty-hitting Castillo is thus likely to find himself as an odd man out for an everyday role, though he may still see steady starts against left-handed pitching.

Williams was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville on Monday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Williams rejoined the major-league roster at the beginning of June and hit .226 with a double, six runs, an RBI and three stolen base over 21 games during his time with the Marlins. However, he'll head back to the minors after Brian Anderson (back) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Monday.

Smith isn't in the lineup for Monday's game against the Royals.

Smith started in four of the last five games and went 2-for-12 with a run, a stolen base, four walks and three strikeouts. Charlie Culberson is starting at the hot corner and batting ninth.

Volpe went 1-for-4 with a walk-off two-run home run, an additional run and an additional RBI in Double-A Somerset's extra-inning win over Hartford on Sunday.

The 21-year-old's 10th-inning blast not only won the game for Somerset, it also clinched a spot in the Eastern League playoffs. The homer was the fourth in the past nine games for Volpe, who also has eight RBI and five stolen bases during that span. The prized prospect started off slowly with a .183 average through his first 38 games this season, but he's turned things around with a .314/.375/.569 slash line, five homers, 16 RBI and nine thefts over his past 25 contests.

Franco went 1-for-5 Sunday against the Pirates.

Franco returned from nearly a month-long absence caused by a quadriceps issue. His lone hit came in the third inning on an infield single, though it was encouraging that he was able to get down the line without a problem. Franco had failed to homer in 110 at-bats prior to going down with the injury, but it's possible he'll pick up his power pace now that he's presumably back to full health.

Turner went 1-for-6 with a run, an RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's extra-innings victory versus Atlanta.

Turner went hitless in his first five at-bats, but he opened the 10th inning on second base as the designated runner and scored on Freddie Freeman's double. In the following frame, Turner came up with a two-out single that padded Los Angeles' lead to two runs, helping the team secure the win. Turner hasn't disappointed in his first full season with the Dodgers, posting a .317/.365/.496 slash line, 10 homers, 53 RBI, 40 runs and 15 thefts. He and Julio Rodriguez are the only players in the majors with at least 15 steals and at least 10 long balls.

Pena went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored Sunday against the Yankees.

Pena was activated from the injured list Sunday after recovering from a thumb injury. He struck out in his other three at-bats but managed a two-out double in the fourth inning prior to coming around to score. Pena should be locked into the starting shortstop role for the Astros, and he will look to build upon his impressive .277/.332/.472 line across 214 plate appearances.

Witt went 0-for-1 with three walks, a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Athletics.

This was the first three-walk game of Witt's career, and the third time in five games he's gotten on base multiple times. The shortstop has hit .264 with an .844 OPS in June, lifting his season numbers to a .242 batting average and .759 OPS through 287 plate appearances. He's added 11 home runs, 11 stolen bases, 37 RBI, 40 runs scored, 16 doubles and five triples. Witt's walking at a 6.0 percent rate -- that's a bit lower than the 9.3 percent clip he posted across Double-A and Triple-A in 2021, but it's power over patience that makes the 22-year-old an increasingly reliable option in fantasy.

The Brewers optioned Reyes to Triple-A Nashville on Monday.

Reyes' demotion likely sets the stage for the Brewers to activate right-hander Brandon Woodruff (hand) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Tuesday at Tampa Bay. The 28-year-old utility man was up with Milwaukee for just one day and didn't appear off the bench in Sunday's win over the Blue Jays.