MLB Player News

Pena (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday, likely at Double-A Corpus Christi, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Pena will go through a full workout Monday first, and as long as he gets through that without any hiccups, he'll play in his first game in more than a month Tuesday. The shortstop could be back on the Astros' active roster before the end of this week.

Smith (lower body) is dealing with a wrist injury that will delay his rehab program, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Smith landed on the 10-day injured list this past Tuesday due to a right glute strain. A minimum stint on the IL would have Smith eligible to return May 15, but his new wrist issue will likely push that return date by at least a few days. Prior to his placement on the IL, Smith was slashing .217/.324/.239 with two steals and six RBI across 108 plate appearances.

Jackson is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

He'll take a seat for the second day in a row while the Orioles go with Blaze Alexander at second base. After a sizzling start to the season at the dish, Jackson has gone cold thus far in May, slashing just .154/.185/.154 over 27 plate appearances on the month.

Shewmake will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Mariners, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

For the Astros' third consecutive matchup versus a right-handed starter, the left-handed-hitting Shewmake has received the nod over the right-handed-hitting Nick Allen at shortstop. Assuming the Astros continue to take a platoon approach to shortstop, Shewmake will likely see the bulk of the starts at the position in the short term, but Jeremy Pena (hamstring) is set to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday or Wednesday and could settle back atop the depth chart by the weekend.

The Dodgers optioned Freeland to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday.

Freeland has operated as the Dodgers' primary second baseman this season but has slashed an underwhelming .235/.309/.337 with an elevated 28.6 percent strikeout rate. With Mookie Betts (oblique) back from the injured list, the Dodgers will likely slide Hyeseong Kim from shortstop to second base, while Freeland continues to play regularly at Oklahoma City.

Martinez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Angels.

He'll hit the bench after he went 1-for-13 with an RBI and a run while starting all three games of the Guardians' series with the Twins over the weekend. With Martinez taking a seat, the Guardians will roll out an outfield of Steven Kwan, Daniel Schneemann and Chase DeLauter from left to right.

Adames went 3-for-6 with a double and two RBI in Sunday's 7-6 extra-innings win over the Pirates.

Adames is starting to come around at the plate, going 10-for-41 (.244) over his last 10 games. He's still racked up 11 strikeouts without a walk in that span, and he's added just two extra-base hits. The shortstop is batting .209 with a .584 OPS, three home runs, eight RBI, 14 runs scored, 12 doubles and one stolen base over 39 contests. Adames isn't in immediate danger of losing his place in the lineup, but the Giants' infield is crowded with top prospect Bryce Eldridge joining the mix earlier this week, which has pushed Casey Schmitt into a utility role. Schmitt can play shortstop and could apply pressure if Adames starts to slump.

Griffin went 1-for-5 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 7-6 extra-innings loss to the Giants.

Griffin has two homers over his last 12 games, and he's batting .333 (15-for-45) with three steals and seven RBI in that span. The shortstop has found some consistency at the plate lately, as he's been held hitless just once during that 12-game sample. He's batting .256 with a .721 OPS, three homers, 19 RBI, 15 runs scored, nine steals, five doubles and two triples through 35 contests this season.

Cruz went 1-for-5 with a solo home run, a walk, a stolen base and two total runs scored in Sunday's 7-6 extra-innings loss to the Giants.

Cruz went 5-for-14 with two walks during this three-game series in San Francisco. The homer was his first since April 28, ending his season-worst 10-game stretch without a long ball. The outfielder is batting .255 with a .793 OPS, 10 homers, 15 steals, 29 RBI and 31 runs scored over 39 contests this season, providing well-rounded production in the counting stats.

De La Cruz went 3-for-4 with a steal and two runs scored during the Reds' 5-0 win over the Astros on Sunday.

It was the fifth time this season that De La Cruz logged three hits in a game, and his steal in the fifth inning was his ninth of the season. The superstar shortstop is slashing .288/.354/.521 with nine steals (on 13 attempts), 10 home runs, 29 RBI and 29 runs scored across 181 plate appearances this season.