MLB Player News

Gordon, who was out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics, is dealing with back tightness, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Gordon had been undercut by teammate Tim Lopes while making a catch in shallow right field in the fourth inning of a loss to the Astros on Wednesday, and he felt his back begin to stiffen shortly thereafter. The veteran was feeling better Thursday and was available off the bench, but his chances of starting Friday's game remain up in the air.

Owings started at shortstop and went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 7-5 loss to the Rangers.

Owings has started four of the last five games, playing shortstop or second base, as the Red Sox wrap up a disappointing season. He's filled in all over the field for Boston, including playing all three outfield positions. Since his team was eliminated from playing in the postseason, Red Sox manager Alex Cora has thrown together some unconventional, and sometimes unrecognizable, lineups over the final two weeks of the season. Owings may get at-bats over the weekend, but it's hard to tell when or at which position.

Correa (back) has been shut down for the rest of the regular season but is expected to start Game 1 of the ALDS, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Astros will keep the 25-year-old out of action until the postseason to ensure he's 100 percent. Aledmys Diaz and Jack Mayfield figure to see time at shortstop in the final four regular-season contests.

Correa (back) isn't in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Angels, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

As expected, Correa will take a seat for the third straight day due to back tightness. The Astros are likely exercising caution with their starting shortstop, and he should be able to return to the starting lineup sometime over the weekend before the postseason begins.

Gordon is not starting Thursday against the Athletics, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Gordon will head to the bench for Thursday's series opener with a left-hander, Sean Manaea, starting for the A's. In his place, Shed Long is manning the keystone and hitting leadoff.

Wendle went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a win over the Yankees on Wednesday.

Following a year-plus home-run drought at Tropicana Field, Wendle has now left the yard in two of his last four games there as part of his best stretch of hitting of the season by far. Wendle is still slashing just .229/.290/.342 in 2019, but considering those figures sat at .198/.275/.262 back on July 23, he's made notable strides at the plate during the most critical time of season for the Rays.

Crawford is not in Thursday's lineup against the Rockies.

Crawford will head to the bench for Thursday's series finale as the Giants stack righties against left-hander Kyle Freeland. Mauricio Dubon is covering shortstop in his place, with Cristhian Adames starting at second base.

Bogaerts is not in Thursday's lineup against the Rangers.

This is his second day off this week as the Red Sox look to spread around the playing time down the stretch. Bogaerts is hitting .284/.341/.407 with two home runs and zero steals in 21 games this month. Chris Owings is starting at shortstop and hitting ninth.

Anderson went 4-for-5 with two runs scored in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Indians.

Anderson's MLB-high batting average swelled to .339 following the four-hit effort, his fifth time this season with that may hits. He now has a 10-point lead over Christian Yelich and Ketel Marte, both of whom are injured and done for the season, and 11 points more than DJ LeMahieu. He's still a free swinger, chasing pitches outside the zone, but has improved his contact rate and enjoys a .402 BABIP.

Seager (hamstring) is expected to return to the lineup against the Giants on Friday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Seager was removed from Wednesday's contest against San Diego as a precautionary measure after feeling tightness in his left hamstring. Manager Dave Roberts indicated after the game that he isn't worried about Seager's hamstring: He said that the shortstop will be held out Thursday but is likely to be back in the lineup for the opener of a three-game series that begins Friday. The Dodgers have no motivation to rush Seager back after having already clinched home-field advantage through the NLCS, so his availability for Friday suggests that the issue is indeed minor.