MLB Player News

Alexander started at shortstop, batted ninth and went 0-for-2 with a walk in Thursday's 5-4 win over Cincinnati.

Alexander made his first start in four games, as suspect defense kept his potentially productive bat (.845 OPS, .194 ISO) out of the lineup in favor of Kevin Newman (.525, .125). Alexander has cooled down recently at the plate, as the rookie is 1-for-13 over the last seven contests.

Volpe went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in a loss to the Astros on Thursday.

Volpe accounted for New York's first scores with a two-run blast to right field in the third inning. It was his second homer in his past three contests following a 25-game stretch during which he went deep just once. Volpe is still batting just .200 through eight games in May, but he's held onto the leadoff spot, batting first in the order in all of the Yankees' contests so far this month.

Paris was recalled from Double-A Rocket City on Thursday.

With both Brandon Drury (hamstring) and Luis Rengifo (illness) sidelined, the Angels were shorthanded along the infield. Paris boasts enough defensive versatility to help the team in that regard, as he is capable of playing second base and shortstop as well as in the outfield. His ability to contribute as a hitter is far less clear, as he was striking out at a 39.1 percent clip across 92 plate appearances with Rocket City prior to his promotion.

Ahmed was removed from Thursday's game against the Rockies due to left wrist discomfort, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Ahmed took an awkward-looking swing during his first at-bat, and he was later pinch hit for by Tyler Fitzgerald in the fourth inning. The Giants didn't specify the severity of Ahmed's injury, though it's possible the 34-year-old shortstop sits out another game or two as a precaution.

Rocchio will start at shortstop and bat leadoff in Thursday's game versus the White Sox.

Rocchio hit second for the Guardians in a game a week ago, but this is just the second time all season that he hasn't been in the No. 9 spot for the Guardians in a game he started. The rookie shortstop had a walk-off RBI single in Wednesday's win over the Tigers, which was his first RBI since April 23 and just his fifth of the season.

Rocchio went 2-for-4 with an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Tigers.

Rocchio's first RBI since April 23 came on a walk-off hit. The Tigers brought an outfielder in to crowd the infield, but Rocchio found a gap to center field to complete the Guardians' comeback. The shortstop is batting .286 (6-for-21) in May, and he's up to a .223/.319/.301 slash line on the year. He's added six stolen bases, five RBI, 16 runs scored and eight doubles through 33 contests, but he's still looking for his first big-league home run.

Moore is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins.

Moore has taken over as the Mariners' primary option at shortstop since J.P. Crawford (oblique) was placed on the 10-day injured list April 25, but he'll cede his spot in the field to Leonardo Rivas in the series finale in Minnesota. During Crawford's absence, Moore has batted just .184, though five of his seven hits over his last 13 games have gone for extra bases.

De La Cruz went 0-for-4 with two stolen bases in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks.

After reaching base on a fielder's choice in the fifth inning, De La Cruz promptly stole second and third base, but the Reds couldn't bring him home. The 22-year-old phenom is up to 21 steals on the season, tops in the majors by a healthy margin -- second place is a three-way tie at 14 between Ronald Acuna, Brice Turang and Jose Caballero. De La Cruz has gone 0-for-15 over the last four games, but he still sports a .254/.356/.516 slash line on the season with eight homers, 19 RBI and 27 runs in 36 contests.

Cruz went 2-for-4 with a double, three RBI and a run scored Wednesday against the Angels.

Cruz provided the majority of Pittsburgh's offense by delivering a double with the bases loaded in the fifth inning. He's had a productive start to Pittsburgh's homestead, collecting six hits in 18 at-bats while also homering twice and driving in seven. Even more important is that he has struck out only four times in that span, a significantly decreased rate from his 34.7 percent clip this season.

Newman is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Reds.

Newman will retreat to the bench after he started each of the past three games at shortstop while going 3-for-12 with a run scored. Blaze Alexander will spell Newman at shortstop in the series finale.