MLB Player News

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that Pena (rib) has an "outside chance" of returning from the 10-day injured list prior to the All-Star break, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

That being said, Brown noted that the shortstop has yet to resume baseball activities since landing on the IL on June 30 due to a small fracture on the left side of his ribs, so Pena will almost certainly need to kick his rehab program into high gear within the next day or two if he's going to be activated prior to the Astros' final game of the first half next Sunday versus the Rangers. While Pena has been out, Mauricio Dubon has served as the Astros' primary shortstop, starting at the position in six of the last eight contests.

Short went 3-for-3 with a double, one RBI, a run scored and a walk in Sunday's 5-1 victory over the Dodgers.

Short garnered his second consecutive start at shortstop and made the most of it, notching his first three-hit performance since June 21, 2023 when he was a Tiger. The 30-year-old journeyman joined the Astros on July 2 after slashing .211/.356/.402 with 12 homers over 73 Triple-A games. Short will likely be in the mix for occasional appearances in the Houston infield while Jeremy Pena (rib), Brendan Rodgers (oblique) and Luis Guillorme (hamstring) all remain on the injured list.

The Tigers promoted McGonigle from High-A West Michigan to Double-A Erie on Sunday.

McGonigle had been on a tear since late May after returning from a stint on the 7-day injured list, producing a 371/.464/.643 slash line with seven home runs and three stolen bases in his last 35 games with West Michigan. The 20-year-old shortstop is viewed as one of Detroit's top overall prospects, and with a strong showing at Erie to close out the season, he could put himself in the mix for a promotion to the big leagues at some point in 2026.

Tovar (oblique) played five innings at shortstop and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in a rehab game with Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday.

Tovar took part in his first game action in a month, after the Rockies placed him on the 10-day injured list June 6 due to a left oblique strain. According to Manny Randhawa of MLB.com, Tovar is scheduled to play again for Albuquerque on Sunday and Tuesday, but the Rockies haven't mapped out his rehab schedule beyond that. Depending on how he fares with Albuquerque over the next few days, Tovar could return from the IL in advance of the Rockies' final series before the All-Star break next weekend in Cincinnati.

Caballero was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins due to right arm soreness, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.

The 28-year-old was penciled in to start at shortstop, but he instead ended up being removed from the lineup card. The specifics of the injury aren't clear, so Caballero should be considered day-to-day heading into Monday's series opener versus Detroit. Taylor Walls replaced him and will bat seventh.

Ortiz is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

Ortiz started the previous 37 games and will take a seat Sunday while he's in the midst of a 4-for-29 slump. Despite those poor numbers, the 27-year-old has been decently productive in 30 games since the start of June with four home runs, 20 RBI, 15 runs and a .263/.311/.424 slash line. Andruw Monasterio will fill in at shortstop in the series finale in Miami.

Lindor went 2-for-3 with two walks, a double, four runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's win over the Yankees.

The top of the Mets' order carried the day in a 12-6 romp, with Lindor helping to set the table for Pete Alonso (two homers, five RBI) and Brandon Nimmo (second grand slam in four days). The steal was Lindor's first since June 7, and on the season the All-Star shortstop is slashing .261/.332/.455 with 17 homers, 14 pilfers, 47 RBI and 57 runs in 88 contests.

Kim (calf) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins, though he ran at about 80 percent, played catch and took swings in the batting cage prior to the contest, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 29-year-old made an early exit in his Rays debut during Friday's 4-3 loss after his right calf started to cramp up, and he'll sit Sunday for a second consecutive game while Taylor Walls draws the start at shortstop. Kim doesn't appear headed for a stint on the injured list but could miss another day or two, depending how his calf responds to the more intensive workouts.

Abrams is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

With the Nationals and Red Sox wrapping up their series with a day game and Garrett Crochet on the bump for Boston, Washington skipper Dave Martinez viewed Sunday as an optimal time to give Abrams a day off. Paul DeJong will fill in at shortstop while Abrams exits the starting nine for the first time since June 8.

Betts went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a double in a loss to Houston on Saturday.

Betts supplied two of the Dodgers' three extra-base hits in the loss, tagging Framber Valdez for a first-inning solo homer and adding a double in the seventh. The veteran superstar made a baserunning blunder on the two-bagger, as he was thrown out trying to stretch the hit to a triple with no outs in the inning, but the positive takeaway is that Betts seems to be regaining his power stroke -- following a 20-game stretch without a long ball, he's gone deep in two of his past three games. Betts is at 11 home runs on the campaign, so he's still a long way away from reaching the career-high mark of 39 that he set two seasons ago.