MLB Player News

Crawford has a stiff neck, which is why he is not in the lineup Saturday, the San Jose Mercury News' Andrew Baggarly reports.

Manager Bruce Bochy said Crawford is healthy enough to play, but given the minor ailment he will get a day off. It's unfortunate, as this was primed to be an ideal matchup for Crawford against a righty (Eddie Butler) in Coors Field, but getting him fully healthy is more important in the long run. Kelby Tomlinson is starting at shortstop and hitting eighth Saturday.

Crawford is out of the lineup Saturday against the Diamondbacks.

This is a bit of a strange day for Crawford to sit against a righty in Coors Field, so it's worth circling back to see if anything comes out about an ailment. For now it seems like just a day off. Kelby Tomlinson will start at shortstop and hit eighth.

Bogaerts went 2-for-5 with a double in Friday night's loss to Houston. He extended his hitting streak to eight games (15-for-37) and has five consecutive multi-hit games (11-for-24).

Bogaerts is following a similar trajectory in 2016 as he did last season -- a middling start in the cooler months before breaking out in the warmer weather -- only this year, he's accelerated the pace. In 2015, it wasn't until June that he started heating up and that wasn't nearly to the degree of his 2016 performance. Here in 2016, after posting a .784 OPS in April, Bogaerts has elevated that figure to 1.014 in May.

Pennington (hamstring) was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Pennington had an early exit from Thursday's loss to the Cardinals due to some cramping in his left hamstring and the issue has proved to be severe enough to warrant a DL stint. Brendan Ryan will take his place at shortstop Friday and the Angels recalled utility infielder Gregorio Petit to take Pennington's spot on the active roster.

Castro is out of Friday's lineup against the Royals.

After a strong start to his season in the majors, Castro has fallen off the map, now sporting a batting average below the dreaded Mendoza Line. Unless he gets it together at the plate soon, he could find playing time even harder to come by. Kelly Johnson will take over at second base in his stead.

Manager Dusty Wathan said he would not be surprised if Crawford was promoted to Triple-A in the next few weeks, Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice reports.

Crawford is hitting .254/.385/.356 with two home runs and four stolen bases in 118 at-bats for Double-A Reading. The numbers don't jump off the page, but his 25 walks to 21 strikeouts shows his mature approach at the plate. He could see time in Philly later this season.

Pennington left Thursday's game with cramping in his left hamstring, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports.

While Pennington was forced from Thursday's game with the injury, the report indicates his not considered serious. If true, he will have a chance to return to action for the Angels' next game Friday against the Mariners.

Bogaerts went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBI in an 11-1 demolition of the Astros on Thursday.

That's now seven straight games with a hit for the 23-year-old shortstop, lifting his average to a season-high .331 mark. Remarkably, he was hitting just .204 as recently as April 19, but Bogaerts has gone a spectacular 36-for-88 (.409) over his last 21 contests. It'd still be nice to see him contribute more power and speed -- his three homers and six steals aren't that exciting -- but it's hard to complain when the guy's in the top five of the American League in batting average.

Ahmed is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Rockies.

The usual starter at shortstop, Ahmed will get the day off as the Diamondbacks go up against Colorado righty Chad Bettis. He'll be replaced at short by Jean Segura, who will serve as the leadoff man.

Seager went 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over the Mets.

The 22-year-old got the scoring started for the Dodgers with a first-inning double that plated Chase Utley. Seager now has multi-hit games in three of his last four contests, and appears to be hitting his stride at the plate so far in May. He's slashing .320/.414/.480 over the first 25 at-bats of the month, and already has four two-baggers and three RBI as well.