MLB Player News

Swanson (knee) took live batting practice Friday, Ryan Herrera of MLB.com reports.

Swanson landed on the 10-day injured list a week ago with a right knee injury. He'll be eligible for activation Saturday, but while it appears he is making progress, it seems unlikely that he will be ready at that time. With Nico Hoerner (hamstring) also banged up, the Cubs' shortstop depth has thinned, and Miles Mastrobuoni has started the last three games.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Monday that he has no plans to bench Baez, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

"He's going to play, a lot," Hinch said. Baez has again been one of the least productive regulars from an offensive standpoint in baseball, slashing just .167/.200/.222 with one home run over 135 plate appearances. He's hit only .223/.265/.346 since signing a six-year, $140 million contract prior to the 2022 campaign. Baez also has graded out poorly defensively in 2024 with minus-4 Outs Above Average, although he was plus-9 in OAA in 2023 and the Tigers still seem happy with his defense. Given that the underwhelming Zach McKinstry would represent their likely alternative at shortstop, the Tigers appear willing to continue riding it out with Baez in hopes that he can rebound to at least a competent level at the plate.

De La Cruz went 4-for-4 with a double, an RBI, three runs scored and four stolen bases in Thursday's win over the Dodgers while also drawing a walk.

De La Cruz was a force to be reckoned with, reaching base five times and swiping at least one bag following each of his first three plate appearances. Those steals would lead to him scoring three runs, marking the third time this season he's accomplished that feat. It was also the star shortstop's first four-hit game on the campaign and his third game with three or more hits. De La Cruz has a whopping 30 stolen bases on the season following his first four-steal performance, sitting 13 ahead of the next closest player, Tampa Bay's Jose Caballero.

Volpe went 2-for-5 with a solo home run during Thursday's 5-0 win over the Twins.

Volpe extended his hit streak to nine games with a first-inning solo home run off Joe Ryan. During that stretch, Volpe has gone yard three times with 10 total RBI while logging multiple hits in four contests. After an up-and-down rookie campaign, Volpe owns a .273/.348/.432 slash line with six homers and nine stolen bases through 199 plate appearances in 2024.

Crawford (oblique/hand) didn't travel with the team to Baltimore, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Crawford was hit by a pitch in the hand during a minor-league rehab assignment Wednesday and was still sore and swollen one day later. He doesn't have a clear timeline to return, and he managed only six plate appearances with Triple-A Tacoma prior to the new injury.

Turner (hamstring) went through a workout at Citizens Bank Park for the second straight day Thursday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Turner went through agility drills and took grounders on the field and also hit in the indoor batting cage. While the Phillies are not ready to say the shortstop is progressing from his left hamstring strain ahead of schedule, it sure seems like he might be. Turner is less than two weeks into a projected six-week recovery timetable.

Bichette went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and two RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Orioles.

His two-run double in the third inning looked like it would be just enough offense to get the Jays the win, until Jordan Romano blew the save in the ninth. Bichette is finally catching fire at the plate, hitting safely in six straight games and batting .435 (10-for-23) over that stretch with a double, a homer, a steal, three runs and four RBI.

Saggese is slashing .243/.325/.397 with five home runs and four steals in 36 games for Triple-A Memphis.

He is now slashing .232/.309/.381 with six home runs and five steals in 49 career games at Triple-A, dating back to last year, which is subpar for a player whose bat is going to have to carry the day. Saggese has played 27 games at shortstop, five games at second base and five games at third base. It's worth noting that Saggese is the sixth-youngest qualified hitter at Triple-A, and the five who are younger are Jackson Holliday, Junior Caminero, James Wood, Owen Caissie and Jonatan Clase, so patience is probably warranted in dynasty leagues.

Schwellenbach threw six scoreless innings for Double-A Mississippi on Wednesday, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out nine.

It was an impressive Double-A debut for the 23-year-old right-hander, who earned his promotion by posting a 2.25 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 34:9 K:BB over 32 innings for High-A Rome. Schwellenbach was a second-round pick in 2021 but didn't make his pro debut until last year due to Tommy John surgery, and he's still learning the nuances of pitching after being a two-way player in college. Atlanta will keep a close eye on his workload this year as he threw only 65 innings in 2023, but it wouldn't be a huge surprise if he climbs to Triple-A by the end of the campaign.

Neto went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in Wednesday's win over the Cardinals.

Neto singled in his first at-bat before being thrown out trying to steal second. He would then add a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth to extend the Angels' lead to four runs, giving the shortstop his fourth long ball of the season and his second in May. Neto has now hit safely in three straight games and hasn't struck out over that stretch after striking out five times in the previous three contests.