MLB Player News

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Bichette is improving in his recovery from a right calf injury, but the skipper declined to reveal whether the shortstop was available off the bench for Sunday's 7-6 win over the Guardians, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports. "Hopefully it's not too much longer," Schneider said.

Bichette missed out on a second consecutive start Sunday due to the injury, and Schneider's comments offered no assurance that the 26-year-old will be back in the lineup Monday versus the Red Sox. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has manned shortstop for the past two games in Bichette's absence, opening up one start apiece for Ernie Clement and Addison Barger at third base.

Betts exited Sunday's contest with the Royals in the seventh inning after being hit in the left hand by a pitch, Kirsten Watson of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

Betts took a 97.9 mile-per-hour fastball from reliever Dan Altavilla off his left hand in the bottom of the seventh inning, immediately exiting the contest afterward. The 31-year-old was in an obvious amount of pain, and more information on his status will likely come following the conclusion of the game.

Gonzalez (hamstring) will travel with the Red Sox to Toronto for their upcoming three-game series with the Blue Jays and is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list Monday or Tuesday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Gonzalez completed his rehab assignment Sunday with Triple-A Worcester with a four-hit performance, and he went 6-for-10 overall while playing three of the past four days. Once activated, Gonzalez will likely supplant Jamie Westbrook as the short-side platoon mate for the lefty-hitting Enmanuel Valdez at second base.

Schuemann is not in the starting lineup for Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader with Minnesota, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Schuemann will head to the bench after he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Sunday's 6-2 loss in the matinee. Aledmys Diaz will take over at shortstop and bat eighth in the nightcap.

Lindor went 1-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two runs in Sunday's 11-6 win over the Padres.

On the third pitch he saw, Lindor took Dylan Cease deep for his first leadoff homer since 2019. It was his 12th home run this season and the third in his last nine games. Lindor has been on a steady climb for about a month now with an average of .303 over his last 25 games. After his slow start, the shortstop is now carrying a .231/.305/.420 slash line with 12 homers, 34 RBI and 11 steals for the season.

Moore will start at second base and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Rangers.

Moore will pick up his fourth consecutive start in the infield since making his return from the paternity list Thursday. He'll likely serve as the Mariners' primary option at the keystone before moving into a utility role once Jorge Polanco (hamstring) is ready to come off the 10-day injured list.

Bliss is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.

After a recent stretch of nine consecutive starts at second base, Bliss appears to have lost hold of an everyday role following Dylan Moore's recent return from the paternity list. Moore will make his second straight start at the keystone, but both he and Bliss will see their opportunities trend down once Jorge Polanco (hamstring) returns from the injured list.

Ahmed is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.

Ahmed went 3-for-7 with a stolen base and a run scored while starting at shortstop for the Giants in both of the team's games since he returned from the injured list Friday. Both of those starts came against left-handed pitchers, making it unclear if he's the team's preferred option at the position or if the lefty-hitting Brett Wisely will operate in the strong side of a platoon. Wisely is in the lineup at shortstop Sunday, but the Angels are deploying a right-handed opener (Ben Joyce) rather than a traditional starter.

Crawford was removed from Sunday's game against the Cubs in the top of the eighth inning with an apparent left hamstring injury, John Denton of MLB.com reports. He went 1-for-1 with a double, two walks and a run scored before departing.

With Masyn Winn getting a day out of the field and serving as the Cardinals' designated hitter, Crawford entered the starting nine at shortstop for just the 12th time all season. He got off to a strong start to the day at the plate before he was pulled midway through his eighth-inning plate appearance, when he appeared to grab at his hamstring following a big swing. Jose Fermin came off the bench to replace Crawford and popped out. The Cardinals should have more information on Crawford's condition after the game.

Cruz (ankle) will start at shortstop and bat third in Sunday's game against the Rockies, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Cruz will check back into the lineup after a sore left ankle prevented him from playing in either of the first two games of the series. The fact that the Pirates are using him at shortstop Sunday rather than deploying him at designated hitter would seem to speak to confidence in Cruz's health heading into the team's upcoming six-game week.