MLB Player News

Abrams went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, three RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

The star shortstop drove in two with a two-bagger in the third inning before wrapping up the scoring for the Nationals with a solo shot off Mitch Bratt in the fifth. Abrams has gone yard five times in the last six games, and on the year he's up to 25 homers and 17 steals, one of just two players in the majors this season to have already reached the 25-15 plateau -- with the other being his teammate James Wood (28 HR, 15 SB).

Crawford (wrist) is starting at third base and batting eighth against the Rangers on Saturday.

Crawford has been sidelined by a sore left wrist for each of the Mariners' last four games, but the veteran infielder has been cleared to return for Saturday's contest. He is slashing .215/.338/.352 with one steal, 10 homers and 28 RBI across 349 plate appearances this season.

Duran started at third base and went 1-for-4 with a run scored in Friday's 5-4 win over Seattle.

Duran made a second consecutive start at third base, while Josh Jung tends to a sore calf. The injury was not considered serious when Jung left Tuesday's game, but the Rangers held him out of Wednesday's game, figuring he'd be ready to go after Thursday's off day. He tested the injury Friday, per Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com, and was unable to go full speed. Wilson added the Rangers will probably need to make a decision about placing Jung on the injured list Saturday. However it plays out, Duran is expected to fill in at third base for as long as needed. He's hit safely in four straight games.

Ebel went 24-for-75 (.320) with four home runs, five doubles, 14 RBI, seven stolen bases and a 22:15 BB:K over his last 21 games with Single-A Wilson.

Ebel hit just .180 and posted a .588 OPS over his first 32 games of the season, but he started to heat up in mid-May, and thanks to his recent hot stretch he now owns a .252 batting average and .811 OPS on the season. The Brewers selected the 19-year-old in the first round in 2025, and he is showing why.

The Twins released Arcia on Friday.

Minnesota parted ways with Arcia after Triple-A St. Paul reinstated shortstop prospect Kaelen Culpepper (hand) from the 7-day injured list in a corresponding move. Arcia was outrighted to Triple-A on June 18 after he had produced a .271/.300/.354 slash line with one home run, two RBI and six runs in 19 games with Minnesota.

De La Cruz went 1-for-4 with a walk, two stolen bases and a run scored in Friday's 4-2 win over the Cardinals.

While De La Cruz has just two hits over his last four games, he's also logged four steals in that span. The shortstop hasn't been as prominent on the basepaths this season due to hamstring and ankle injuries that bookended his June, but he's starting to pick up the pace again. He's batting .276 with an .852 OPS, 17 home runs, 18 steals, 46 RBI, 56 runs scored, 15 doubles and four triples through 83 contests on the year.

Seager (back) took four at-bats in a simulated live batting practice Friday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Seager landed on the 10-day injured list July 1 due to lower-back inflammation, but he's steadily progressing in his recovery. He's expected to log at least one more live batting practice session before the Rangers' medical staff decides whether he's ready to embark on a rehab assignment.

Triple-A St. Paul reinstated Culpepper (hand) from the 7-day injured list Friday.

Culpepper has appeared in just two games for St. Paul since June 28 due to a glute strain and a hand injury. He's progressed enough in his recovery from the latter issue to return to action at Triple-A, where he's slashing .272/.376/.492 with 15 steals and 14 home runs across 295 plate appearances.

Baez (ankle) will move his rehab assignment to Triple-A Toledo on Saturday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Baez made two appearances for Single-A Lakehead earlier this week and is ready to take the next step in his recovery from a right ankle sprain that landed him on the injured list in late April. He'll need multiple reps in center field and shortstop before being cleared to return from the 60-day IL.

Crawford (wrist) is not in the lineup for Seattle's matchup against the Rangers on Friday.

After missing all three games of Seattle's previous series against the Reds and having Thursday's rest day, Crawford will sit out Friday's series opener. Weston Wilson will get the start at third base while Colt Emerson will take over at shortstop for the Mariners.