MLB Player News

Bogaerts (thumb) entered Friday's game after starting shortstop Marco Hernandez was lifted for a pinch hitter in Boston's 2-0 loss to the Orioles.

Bogaerts wasn't in Friday's starting lineup after experiencing discomfort in his thumb following a head-first slide Thursday. He was able to hit in the cage Friday, suggesting his return was imminent. That the Red Sox felt comfortable having him play the field Friday suggests he could be back for full-time duty Saturday.

Turner entered Friday's game in the 11th inning as a pinch hitter and drew a bases-loaded walk off Jeurys Familia to give the Nationals a 4-3 win over the Mets.

It wasn't exactly proof that he's completely recovered from his hamstring injury, but after being activated from the DL on Friday, Turner should resume his spot as the starting shortstop Saturday and seems safe to use in fantasy lineups once again.

Baez went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo homer Friday against the Reds.

Baez's first homer of 2017 drew the Cubs within a run of the Reds in the fifth inning of a game they'd eventually win in extra innings. Although he got off to a slow start, he's now collected hits in six of his last seven games. Fantasy owners who may have left him on the bench recently will likely want to get him right back into their lineups.

Swanson will bat eighth Friday against the Phillies.

Manager Brian Snitker has not said explicitly that this will be Swanson's regular spot moving forward, but it would make sense if the team kept him in the bottom third of the order for a while as the 23-year-old attempts to regain some confidence at the dish. Swanson has batted exclusively out of the two-hole to this point, going just 8-for-61 (.131 average) with two extra-base hits, two walks and 16 strikeouts.

Bogaerts (thumb) took swings in the batting cage Friday and will receive treatment throughout the day, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports.

Bogaerts did feel a bit of soreness in his swings, but it seems like the problem isn't too big of a deal. There is speculation that the young shortstop could return to the lineup as early as Saturday, so keep an eye on his status as Saturday's start time approaches.

Turner (hamstring) was activated from the disabled list on Friday, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reports.

While he's now back on the active roster, Turner will not immediately return to the starting lineup as manager Dusty Baker has opted to go with Wilmer Difo at shortstop again Friday. Turner has not seen major-league game action since going down April 8, but it appears that will be changing very soon.

Anderson is batting leadoff and starting at shortstop for Friday's game against the Indians.

It will be just the fourth time this season that Anderson finds himself at the top of the order, but it could serve to jump-start his offensive production. Anderson has been left searching for answers while slashing just .164/.179/.236 this season with 14 strikeouts over 13 games. Tyler Saladino gets the day off.

Bogaerts (thumb) is not in the lineup for Friday's series opener with the Orioles, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

The All-Star shortstop appeared to injure his thumb sliding headfirst into second base in Thursday's contest, so it seems that the Red Sox are holding him out to give the ailment a bit more time to heal. It's unclear what exactly the problem is or how severe it is, but in the meantime, Marco Hernandez will pick up a start at shortstop in his stead. Consider Bogaerts day-to-day for the time being.

Mondesi was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Friday.

The Royals tried to let the 21-year-old play his way out of his early-season struggles, but after going hitless in his last seven games and dropping his already low batting average to .103, he'll head back to the minors for more seasoning. Look for Whit Merrifield, Cheslor Cuthbert and Christian Colon to fight for playing time at the keystone until Mondesi returns, which could be relatively soon if the latter hits as well as he did at Triple-A last season (.304 batting average, .864 OPS).

Diaz, who endured an 0-for-18 slump before a pinch-hit infield single Wednesday, studied film of his at-bats from last season and reevaluated his mental approach earlier that day, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. "I think a day off helped a lot," Diaz said. "I reset my mind. I came in early, watched a lot of video from the last year. I just feel good. I have confidence it's going to be better in the next couple of games. You have to trust the process, and keep working."

Diaz burst onto the scene last season with a .300/.369/.510 line over 111 games, and he appeared to be on track for more of the same in the early going this season. In Wednesday film study, the shortstop and hitting coach John Mabry pinpointed a narrowing of the hips in Diaz's stance this year when compared to last season -- a factor which potentially was inhibiting his visibility. They also took note of the numbers indicating reduced plate discipline this season, as evidenced by an 18.1 percent increase in Diaz's swing percentage on pitches outside the strike zone.