MLB Player News

Crawford is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.

The Mariners are wrapping up their series against Cincinnati with a day game after a night game and a lefty (Andrew Abbott) is on the hill for the Reds, so Seattle skipper Scott Servais likely felt that it was an opportune time to give the lefty-hitting Crawford a day off. Crawford will cede shortstop to Dylan Moore while Julio Rodriguez replaces Crawford atop the batting order.

Crawford went 2-for-5 with a run in a win over the Reds on Tuesday.

Crawford's multi-hit effort was his first of the season -- a much-needed shot in the arm for his struggling bat. Crawford has now managed to reach safely in eight consecutive games, albeit while mustering just one extra-base hit in that sample. The veteran shortstop's slash line sits at a forgettable .171/.266/.257 across 79 plate appearances, but there aren't yet any discernible rumblings about a potential loss of playing time.

Allen will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.

Though he's back in the lineup against Cardinals southpaw Steven Matz, Allen had been withheld from the starting nine in each of the past three games, when the opposition brought right-handed pitchers to the hill. Allen looks to have moved into the short side of a platoon at shortstop with Darell Hernaiz.

Winn went 0-for-1 with two walks, one RBI, one stolen base and one run scored in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Athletics.

Winn's run of three straight multi-hit efforts was snapped, but he still found his way on base. He also delivered a game-tying sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. The 22-year-old has settled in admirably as the starting shortstop, batting .362 with an .885 OPS, three steals, six RBI, six runs scored, two doubles and two triples over 55 plate appearances. Winn has yet to hit a home run this year, but he's batting well enough to keep Brandon Crawford on the bench.

DeJong will start at shortstop and bat sixth in the opening game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Royals.

DeJong will stick in the lineup for the fourth time in five games and may have at least temporarily wrested the primary shortstop gig back from Braden Shewmake. The 30-year-old hasn't built up much job security, however, as he enters Wednesday's doubleheader with a .176/.176/.441 slash line and a 44.1 percent strikeout rate over his 34 plate appearances on the season.

Shewmake will start at third base and bat seventh in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Royals.

Shewmake will crack the lineup for the front end of the twin bill, but he seems to have moved into more of a utility infield role after he initially looked on track to unseat Paul DeJong as the team's primary shortstop. DeJong will cover shortstop for the fourth time in five games in Wednesday's opening contest.

Betts went 5-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs Tuesday in the Dodgers' 6-2 win over the Nationals.

Betts produced the majors' first five-hit game of the season Tuesday and matched his previous career high for hits in a game, raising his batting average to an MLB-best .388 in the process. Though the Dodgers' 12-8 start to the season is somewhat disappointing given the immense talent on the roster, Betts and Shohei Ohtani (1.019 OPS) are doing their part in the top two spots in the lineup. Betts has still been able to rack up 22 runs and 18 RBI through 20 games, even while No. 3 hitter Freddie Freeman (.788 OPS) has yet to really get going at the plate.

Neto went 1-for-4 with an RBI and two stolen bases in Tuesday's 7-6 extra-innings loss to the Rays.

The Angels turned on the jets once Rene Pinto took over behind the plate for the Rays in the ninth inning, with Neto collecting both his steals in the late innings as part of a 5-for-6 performance on the basepaths by Los Angeles on the night. The shortstop has struggled out of the gate this season -- the 23-year-old hasn't had a multi-hit game since April 6, and through 16 contests he's slashing .179/.258/.232 with zero homers, three runs, six RBI and three steals in five attempts. Neto's 29.0 percent strikeout rate is also a significant step back from the 23.4 percent mark he posted as a rookie.

De La Cruz went 1-for-2 with two walks and a steal in Tuesday's loss to the Mariners.

De La Cruz drew multiple walks in a game for the first time this season and swiped his seventh bag of the year, which ties him for fourth in the majors early on. He was able to end a mini slump in this one after going hitless in three straight games and is now slashing .274/.357/.565 with four homers, 10 RBI, 15 runs and a 7:23 BB:K in 70 plate appearances.

Fitzgerald went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Marlins.

Fitzgerald spelled Thairo Estrada at second base for this contest. After an unimpressive start to the season, Fitzgerlad has four steals over his last five games while going 5-for-12 with three extra-base hits in that span. The 26-year-old provides cover around the infield and can also play in center, though the Giants' outfield hasn't varied much this season. Fitzgerald doesn't have an obvious path to playing time in the Giants' righty-heavy infield, so he's likely to remain a utility player unless he commands a larger role with his hitting.