MLB Player News

Diaz went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI in Wednesday's 11-4 win over the Mariners.

Diaz continues to fill in for the injured Alex Bregman (quadriceps), who remains on a rehab assignment that should run through next week. In the two games since coming off his own stay on the injured list, Diaz has four hits, two doubles, four RBI and two runs over 11 plate appearances.

Smith will be traded from the Yankees to the Rangers along with Trevor Hauver, Ezequiel Duran and Glenn Otto in exchange for Joey Gallo and Joely Rodriguez, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Smith has spent the 2021 campaign with both Low-A Hudson Valley and High-A Tampa. He has experienced success at both levels, though that should be expected given that he is nearly 24. It's possible the Rangers push him to Double-A, which should provide a more realistic idea of his future potential.

Duran will be traded by the Yankees to the Rangers along with Trevor Hauver, Josh Smith and Glenn Otto in exchange for Joely Rodriguez and Joey Gallo, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Duran has spent the 2021 season with High-A Hudson Valley and experienced plenty of success. He's maintained a .290/.374/.533 line -- good for a 141 wRC+ -- while striking out a 23.9 percent clip and walking 9.4 percent of the time. Though he won't reach the majors for a few seasons, Duran should be considered among the Rangers' better middle-infield prospects.

Bichette went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Bichette produced Toronto's only run in the second game of a doubleheader, singling home Vladimir Guerrero in the fourth inning. He stole second base later in the frame, his team-leading 15th swipe of the season. Bichette is 8-for-15 in four games since being moved to the cleanup spot over the weekend and is now slashing .297/.349/.484 with 18 homers in 430 plate appearances on the year.

Seager's (hand) recovery has progressed well, and he is hoping to be activated from the injured list during the team's weekend series against Arizona, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Seager has been sidelined since mid-May due to the fracture in his right hand. He is currently playing in simulated games at the team's spring training facility in Arizona and has not experienced any soreness for several days. It was previously reported that Seager would need a rehab assignment in addition to the simulated game action, though it appears that plan may have now changed.

Crawford (oblique) believes he'll be activated from the 10-day injured list Thursday, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The veteran shortstop resumed baseball activities over the weekend, and he's apparently progressed significantly in his rehab work over the past few days. Crawford landed on the shelf July 19 with a strained oblique, and it appears he won't require a rehab assignment before being activated.

Bogaerts (wrist) is starting at shortstop and batting third in Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Blue Jays, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

Manager Alex Cora said Bogaerts would start Game 2 after sitting the first contest of the twin bill, and the shortstop is indeed in the lineup for the nightcap. The 28-year-old ended up missing three games due to soreness in his left wrist, but he's back in action after taking a couple days to recover from the injury.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk revealed Wednesday that Cruz (forearm) is now asymptomatic, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Cruz recently rejoined Double-A Altoona to continue his recovery, and his forearm is now feeling normal. The right-hander will be evaluated in the coming days to determine his next steps.

Baez (heel) isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Reds.

Baez was a late scratch from Tuesday's lineup, and he didn't appear off the bench as he continues to deal with a bruised left heel. Nico Hoerner will start at shortstop while Matt Duffy starts at second base.

Mauricio went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo homers, a walk and three runs in High-A Brooklyn's win over Jersey Shore on Tuesday.

After a difficult June in which the 20-year-old shortstop hit just .202, he's in the midst of an excellent July that's seen him bat .293 with five homers, two steals, 14 RBI and 11 runs across 19 games. Mauricio's season line -- .247/.289/.459 with 13 homers and six steals -- still leaves something to be desired, but he's made positive strides nonetheless, showing increased power and more than holding his own despite being three years younger than the average player in the High-A East. He's still raw, as he simply doesn't have a ton of minor-league experience and his plate discipline remains a work in progress, so the Mets would do well to give him plenty of development time.