MLB Player News

McGonigle went 1-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 6-2, extra-innings win over the Yankees.

After batting .277 with three home runs in June, McGonigle started off July on a strong note with another long ball. The rookie's power is trending upward, as he went deep just three time across his first 58 games of the year but has needed only 26 contests to record his last four homers. McGonigle has also tallied 11 steals with a .282/.391/.424 slash line in 373 plate appearances this year.

The Nationals traded Diaz to the Orioles on Wednesday in exchange for Kyle Nicolas.

Diaz has spent the entire season at High-A Wilmington, slashing .253/.360/.406 with five homers, 31 RBI, 28 runs and 13 steals through 200 plate appearances. The 23-year-old infielder will likely remain at High-A to begin his tenure with the O's, but he could make a push to reach Double-A Chesapeake by the end of the season.

Betts was scratched from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics due to wrist soreness, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Manager Dave Roberts said that Betts' removal from the lineup was precautionary, so it doesn't seem like the 33-year-old is dealing with a significant injury. Miguel Rojas will fill in as Los Angeles' shortstop and bat eighth while Betts sits.

Swanson went 3-for-5 with three home runs, an additional run scored and eight total RBI in Wednesday's 23-3 win over the Padres.

Swanson is rapidly putting his early season struggles behind him with an impressive power surge in recent weeks. The shortstop went deep twice Tuesday, and he now has three multi-homer performances and six long balls overall across his last 10 games. Swanson set a career high with his three home runs Wednesday, which pushed him up to 16 for the year.

Adames (back) remains out of San Francisco's starting lineup against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, Evan Webeck of the California Post reports.

Adames has yet to appear in this series, missing his third consecutive game against Arizona after exiting Sunday's contest in the eighth inning due to lower-back spasms. The recently elevated Christian Koss will take over at shortstop and bat ninth Wednesday for the Giants.

Pena (calf) did some light running at Daikin Park on Wednesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Pena was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday due to a left calf strain that had been lingering. The Astros are optimistic that the shortstop can return when his 10 days are up, and his ability to do some light running already bodes well for potentially reaching that goal. Raynel Delgado is filling in at shortstop for the Astros on Wednesday versus the Twins after Nick Allen manned the position the previous two days.

The Rangers placed Seager on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to lower-back inflammation.

Seager returned from the 7-day injured list last week after recovering from a concussion, but a back issue that will send him to the IL this time. The shortstop missed a month of action with a back injury earlier this season, but it's unclear at this point how long his upcoming stint on the shelf might last. Ezequiel Duran will likely serve as the Rangers' primary shortstop while Seager is sidelined.

Cheng is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.

Cheng started at shortstop in each of the last five games following his call-up from Triple-A Worcester last Friday, going 2-for-15 with a double, a walk and a run. He'll cede shortstop to Andruw Monasterio while southpaw Andrew Alvarez works as a primary pitcher for Washington, but the left-handed-hitting Cheng could continue to handle a strong-side platoon role at the position while all of Trevor Story (sports hernia), Marcelo Mayer (forearm) and Isiah Kiner-Falefa (forearm) are on the shelf.

Abrams is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

The Nationals are closing out their series in Boston with a day game after a night game and left-hander Payton Tolle is starting for the Red Sox, making it an ideal time for the left-handed-hitting Abrams to receive a breather. Nasim Nunez will slide over from his usual spot at second base to replace Abrams at shortstop.

Seager (back) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Guardians.

The Rangers will give Seager at least one maintenance day after he experienced back discomfort and was lifted from Tuesday's 4-2 win before his first turn in the batting order came up. Texas will go with Nicky Lopez at shortstop in place of Seager, who is being viewed as day-to-day heading into the team's three-game series with the Tigers, which begins Thursday.