MLB Player News

Anderson went 1-for-5 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Friday's 12-8 win over the Angels.

Anderson's solo homer was part of a five-run, ninth-inning barrage that sealed the win for the White Sox. He had 10 homers in 49 games last season and should put up the second 20-homer season of his career if he remains healthy.

Wendle went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's 6-4 win over the Marlins.

With Tampa down 4-2 in the ninth inning, Wendle crushed an offering from presumptive Miami closer Anthony Bass into the second deck in right field to flip the script. The 30-year-old utility player has never hit more than seven homers in a season and managed only four in 50 games last year, but Wendle made his first blast count in 2021.

Crawford went 0-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 6-3 win over the Mariners.

Crawford got on base for the first time this season with a walk in the seventh inning. He then advanced to second on a Mike Yastrzemski walk and stole third before scoring on Donovan Solano's two-run double. The 34-year-old Crawford had a solid bounce-back campaign in 2020 with eight homers, 28 RBI, 26 runs scored and a .256/.326/.465 slash line in 54 games. He remains the Giants' primary shortstop in 2021, but he's expected to continue hitting near the bottom of the order.

Ahmed, who is out of Friday's lineup against the Padres, said he hopes his knee issue won't linger all season, Jody Jackson of FOX Sports Arizona reports.

He is not yet ready to make his season debut, as it sounds like Ahmed is hoping to get as healthy as possible before taking the field in an effort to get over the knee soreness that bothered him all spring. Ahmed received a platelet-rich plasma injection in late March, which is always an ominous sign. It seems likely that he will get into a game fairly soon, but it also seems possible that this knee issue could affect his performance this season.

Ahmed (knee) will remain on the bench Friday against the Padres.

Ahmed battled knee soreness throughout March but made the Opening Day roster, suggesting his season debut should be coming soon. Previous reports indicated that debut could come Friday, but if it does, it won't be happening at the start of the game. Josh Rojas remains the starter at shortstop in his absence.

Adames is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Marlins.

Adames started at shortstop Opening Day and will take a seat after going 1-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. Joey Wendle will take over at shortstop for Tampa Bay with Yandy Diaz working at the hot corner.

Seager went 2-for-3 with two walks and an RBI on Thursday against the Rockies.

Seager reached base four times on Opening Day, highlighted by an RBI single in the eighth inning. He didn't provide any extra-base hits, but it was still a strong start to the campaign for Seager after he posted a career-best 152 wRC+ in 2020.

Owings went 3-for-3 with a triple, a walk, two stolen bases and three runs scored Thursday against the Dodgers.

Owings got the opportunity to start at second base with a southpaw on the mound, pushing Garrett Hampson to the outfield while Sam Hilliard and Ryan McMahon sat on the bench. He put together an impressive performance thanks to his on-base ability and aggressive baserunning. When the Rockies are facing righties on the mound, Owings doesn't figure to have a regular spot in the order, though his playing time is worth monitoring -- particularly when the team is at Coors Field.

Ahmed (knee) could make his season debut Friday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Ahmed, who was hobbled by knee soreness for much of March, was unavailable for Opening Day in San Diego, but manager Torey Lovullo left open the possibility that he could play Friday. "We'll keep pushing it back 24 hours and keep having the same conversation," Lovullo said. Josh Rojas filled in at shortstop Thursday.

Crawford will start at shortstop and bat ninth Thursday against the Giants.

Seattle is opposing the right-handed Kevin Gausman in the season opener, so the lefty-hitting Crawford looks like he'll be a mainstay at the bottom of the order to begin the campaign while Mitch Haniger serves as the full-time leadoff man. This arrangement is obviously an unfavorable development for Crawford's fantasy value -- and an unexpected one, considering that he'd hit atop the order in 48 of his 51 starts in 2020. Though he showed significant improvement with his contact rate last season, Crawford's .336 on-base percentage was still poor for a leadoff hitter, and he didn't make enough strides this spring to hold off a healthy Haniger for the job. He produced only five hits -- all singles -- in 39 at-bats during Cactus League play.