MLB Player News

Pennington received another start at second base Thursday, going 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored in a 7-1 loss to Detroit.

The veteran infielder has now started three of the Angels' last four games in place of the struggling Danny Espinosa. It is unclear whether manager Mike Scioscia has officially made a change to his lineup, or if he is just giving his struggling second baseman a mental break. Either way, Pennington's lack of power (zero extra-base hits in 41 plate appearances) keeps him out of the conversation in standard formats, but he could help some deep-league owners as a short-term middle infielder.

Sardinas received a rare start Thursday, going 2-for-4 in a loss to the Rangers.

With the Padres visiting an American League club, the team was afforded an extra batter and Sardinas was the one to benefit Thursday. San Diego has another AL-road series against the White Sox coming up, so the 23-year-old could see another start in short order. That said, his .195/.250/.195 slash line in 44 plate appearances this season makes him an undesirable option even if he were to be penciled into the lineup.

Anderson was scheduled to leave the White Sox on Friday morning to attend the funeral of a close friend over the weekend, and he'll rejoin them Monday for their road series against the Angels, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.

Anderson's friend Branden Moss, who was the godfather of Anderson's daughter, was shot and killed Sunday near the University of Alabama while reportedly trying to help an assault victim outside of a bar. It's uncertain if the White Sox will put him on the bereavement list, which per the rules applies to a "death or serious illness in [the player's] family." After the services, Anderson will meet up with Chicago for the start of their stint in Anaheim.

Noonan was traded to the Marlins on Thursday in exchange for cash considerations, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Miami's infield has been gutted by injuries, so they needed to add some warm bodies to the New Orleans roster to replace all the players recently called up to the majors. Noonan was hitting just .212/.235/.333 in 10 games for Triple-A Colorado Springs prior to switching organizations.

Correa went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run during Thursday's win over the Yankees.

Correa is scorching hot and currently sports a .353/.413/.676 slash line with 14 runs, 10 doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI through his past 17 games. The 22-year-old shortstop is in line to post a career-best fantasy showing, and he offers a reliable floor hitting in the heart of a potent lineup.

Diaz went 2-for-5 with an RBI single in Wednesday's 7-5 win over the Marlins, snapping an 0-for-14 slump that spanned the previous three games.

The Cuban shortstop broke out of his funk with his fifth multi-hit game of May. Despite his struggles in the prior three games and another 0-for-4 outing on May 2, Diaz is still hitting .341 with a pair of doubles, one home run, seven RBI and five runs over his first 41 at-bats of the month.

Crawford (groin) is starting at shortstop and hitting fourth Thursday against the Reds, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

As planned, Crawford was activated from the disabled list and is in the lineup for Thursday's outing. Crawford missed 14 games with a groin injury, but will look to elevate his .263 batting average and .718 OPS on Thursday night.

Story was placed on the DL on Thursday with a strained left shoulder, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

Story was withheld from Wednesday's lineup, and it would appear that his shoulder injury was the contributing factor behind his absence. Story's season has gotten off to a slow start, as he's slashing .180/.289/.396 and owns a dismal 37.5 percent K-rate. The Rockies have yet to elaborate on the severity of Story's injury, but more information should become available soon. With Story on the disabled list, look for Pat Valaika and Alexi Amarista to see time at shortstop.

Gordon went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, a run scored and two stolen bases in Wednesday's loss to the Cardinals.

Hitting ninth in the order behind the pitcher doesn't seem to have slowed Gordon down on the basepaths, and he now has 11 steals on the season in 13 attempts. Expect to see him back in the leadoff spot soon enough as Marlins manager Don Mattingly continues to tinker with his struggling lineup.

Owings went 2-for-5 with a double in Wednesday's 7-1 win over the Tigers.

Owings recorded two hits in both of the Diamondbacks' games against the Tigers, raising his batting average up to .311 for the season. Though Owings has certainly benefited from a lofty .372 BABIP this season, he sports a .324 mark for his career and has raised his hard-hit rate to a career-best 34.1 percent, so dramatic regression in his batting average may not be in store.