MLB Player News

Duran went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Friday's 7-6 loss to Tampa Bay.

Duran got the scoring started in the second inning with a long ball off Rays starter Nick Martinez. It was the 27-year-old's second homer in his past three games, including his fourth straight game with an RBI. Over his last 15 games, Duran is batting .389/.484/.704 with four homers and 13 RBI in 63 plate appearances.

De La Cruz went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 10-7 loss to the Brewers.

De La Cruz was involved early, delivering a run on a first-inning single and scoring a run in the third. He returned to play shortstop for the first time since sustaining a quadriceps injury last Sunday. De La Cruz didn't miss any time due to the quad and operated as the designated hitter in Cincinnati's previous three games.

Rocchio went 3-for-7 with a walk, a double, two home runs, five RBI, three runs scored and two stolen bases across both games of Friday's doubleheader sweep of the Tigers.

The shortstop powered a 7-6 win in the matinee with both his long balls and all five of his RBI -- a fourth-inning grand slam off Keider Montero, and a walk-off solo shot off Drew Sommers in the ninth -- and Rocchio then played a key role in a 4-3 victory in the nightcap. After leading off the 10th inning with a fielder's choice that erased the phantom runner, he swiped second and third against Detroit closer Kenley Jansen, putting him in position to trot home on Travis Bazzana's single. Rocchio is up to 12 homers and 18 steals, both career highs, through 135 games on the season, but highlights at the plate have been rare of late. Over 27 contests since the beginning of August, he's managed just a .188/.248/.313 slash line.

Griffin went 0-for-3 with a run scored Friday against the Angels.

Griffin was activated from the 60-day injured list Friday and hit sixth in the order. He reached base on a fielder's choice in the second inning and scored from first base on a double by Jake Mangum, recording the only run of the game by either team. Griffin should be a mainstay in the Pirates' lineup, and he'll likely be aggressive on the basepaths even if he starts slowly at the plate while shaking off some rust.

Williams went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk, a stolen base and two total runs scored in Friday's 7-6 win over the Mariners.

Williams has gone 9-for-27 (.333) with six extra-base hits over his last eight games. The infielder is now batting .272 with a .755 OPS, four homers, 16 RBI, 22 runs scored, 15 doubles, one triple and one steal over 183 plate appearances this season. Williams' steady hitting recently has earned him more playing time at shortstop, though he's benefited from the Athletics facing left-handed starting pitchers in three of the previous four games as well as infielder Tommy White being day-to-day with a back injury.

Witt went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 9-2 loss to the Blue Jays.

Witt got the Royals on the board with a 410-foot blast in the first inning. It ended a 12-game power drought for the shortstop, who hit just .234 with two extra-base hits during that span. For the season, he's slashing .283/.360/.452 with 17 homers, 51 RBI, 79 runs scored and 38 steals across 544 plate appearances.

Miller (back) will play five innings at shortstop for Single-A Clearwater on Saturday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Miller has been shelved by a back injury since spring training, which prompted him to undergo a minor procedure in early June. He's seemingly progressed enough in his recovery to embark on a rehab assignment, and he'll likely have his workload managed to avoid a setback. It's unclear whether Miller will be back with Triple-A Lehigh Valley before the end of the regular season.

Lombard (knee) is in the lineup for Friday's game against the Padres.

After missing four straight games due to right knee inflammation, Lombard will make his return to the starting nine for Friday's series opener in San Diego. The 21-year-old will man shortstop and bat seventh for the Yankees.

Gimenez is not in the lineup for Toronto's matchup with Kansas City on Friday.

As the Royals send out southpaw Daniel Lynch to the mound, Gimenez will ride the bench for Friday's series opener. Ernie Clement will slide over to shortstop and bat seventh for the Blue Jays.

Tovar is absent from the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.

It's the third consecutive time that Tovar has been out of the lineup when the opposition has had a righty on the bump, in this case Andre Pallante. It's unclear whether Tovar has fallen into a short-side platoon, but it wouldn't be a surprise given his woeful .209/.256/.333 slash line. Cole Carrigg will handle shortstop for the Rockies in the series opener.