MLB Player News

Smith (knee) went 0-for-2 with a walk in a loss to the Astros on Wednesday.

The rookie had missed Tuesday's matchup with a knee bruise, but he was able to start and play a full game at third base Wednesday. Smith is still mostly scuffling against big-league arms, as his season line stands at an unsightly .200/.227/.336 following Wednesday's contest.

Seager is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Rays.

Seager will get his first day off since April 17, going 7-for-22 with three homers, four RBI, five runs and a stolen base over his last five games. Marcus Semien will slide over to shortstop while Charlie Culberson will enter the lineup at second base and bat ninth.

Baez remains out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins,

According to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, Baez is on the bench for a second straight game not due to an injury, but as part of a "planned mental break." The consecutive days off come after Baez closed May with a .129/.182/.161 slash line over the final eight games of the month. He's sitting on a career-worst .542 OPS through his first 40 games with Detroit this season, perhaps giving the Tigers some buyer's remorse after signing him to a massive six-year, $140 million deal this winter.

Smith (wrist) replaced Andy Ibanez at third base to start the ninth inning of Wednesday's 4-3 extra-innings loss to the Rays. He went 0-for-1 with a walk.

Smith was held out of the starting lineup with a potential wrist injury, but he entered as a defensive substitution. There appears to be more to the substitution than getting a better fielder in the game. The game was tied at the time, so there was every expectation that Smith would make a plate appearance -- he was due up in the bottom of the ninth -- so it appears that if there was a wrist injury, it's an insignificant one.

Ahmed (undisclosed) is expected to play in two games at extended spring training this week, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

The report indicates the first game was Wednesday, and he was expected to play again Thursday. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said if all goes well, Ahmed will be re-evaluated to determine next steps in his rehab program.

Crawford went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Orioles.

Crawford took Kyle Bradish yard in the fourth inning to record his fifth homer of the season. It was his first long ball since May 1, and he recorded only three total extra-base hits across 86 at-bats in that span. However, Crawford has maintained a 15.3 percent strikeout rate across 196 plate appearances on the season, which has helped him maintain a .298/.388/.452 line.

Smith's absence from the lineup Wednesday against the Rays could be related to him being hit on the right wrist by a pitch in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Rays, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Smith was able to play the full nine-inning game Tuesday, but he could be dealing with some residual pain in the wrist after he was hit by a pitch for the second time in the contest. Andy Ibanez will draw the start at third base Wednesday, but assuming his wrist issue isn't anything more than a day-to-day concern, Smith looks like he'll get a chance to play regularly against both right- and left-handed pitching.

Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.

Smith had a productive first two starts in the big leagues, rapping out three hits and reaching base five times in total while scoring twice and contributing a stolen base. He still appears to have the edge on the everyday job at third base, but Smith will cede duties at the hot corner to Andy Ibanez on Wednesday.

Baez isn't starting Wednesday against the Twins.

Baez will get a breather after he hit just .129 with a double, an RBI, a walk and eight strikeouts over the last eight games. Harold Castro will take over at shortstop and bat second.

Velazquez went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in a loss to the Yankees on Tuesday.

One of the Angels' few threats in the game came in the eighth inning, when Juan Lagares led off with a double and Velazquez followed with a single. Velazquez subsequently stole second to put a pair of runners in scoring position with nobody out, but Los Angeles was unable to score. Velazquez is just over the Mendoza Line with a .203 average on the season, but he's tied for seventh in the American League with eight stolen bases.