MLB Player News

Baez (bereavement) remains away from the Tigers on Thursday.

Baez was placed on the bereavement list Saturday as he traveled to Puerto Rico to attend his grandfather's funeral. The bereavement list window is three-to-seven days, so it's possible he doesn't rejoin the club until this weekend. Zack Short will start at shortstop and bat ninth Thursday as the Tigers open a four-game series in Cleveland.

Edman (calf) is playing center field and hitting leadoff versus the Mets on Thursday.

Edman was removed from Wednesday's game in the fifth inning against Oakland due to a right calf contusion after fouling a ball off his leg. He has led off against four of the last six lefties he has started against, and he is atop the lineup against southpaw Jose Quintana in this one. Edman typically hits ninth against righties.

Anderson's suspension was reduced to five games Thursday, and he will begin serving the ban Friday in Colorado, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

With the suspension for participating in the Aug. 5 brawl with the Guardians going into effect Friday, the shortstop will miss the series in Colorado and the first two games in Seattle early next week. He will return from the suspension Aug. 23, the rubber match of the series against the Mariners. Anderson's suspension was reduced from six games after he settled with the league before an appeal hearing was needed.

Abrams is getting a scheduled day off Thursday versus the Red Sox, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Abrams battled some back spasms toward the end of last week, but all is well. He tallied his 31st stolen base of the season in the Nationals' win over Boston on Wednesday after reaching the 30-steal plateau in Tuesday's loss. Jeter Downs will play shortstop and hit ninth in Thursday's series finale.

Downs is starting at shortstop and batting ninth Thursday against the Red Sox.

This is just the second start of any kind for Downs since the Nationals called him up from Triple-A Rochester on Aug. 3. The 25-year-old had struggled in the minors prior to that promotion and will have to take advantage of these limited opportunities in order to carve out more of a regular role for the stretch run.

Crawford (concussion) could be activated from the 7-day injured list ahead of Sunday's series finale in Houston, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

He landed on the 7-day IL last Friday, following a collision two days prior with teammate Eugenio Suarez. Crawford has shown steady improvement throughout this week and will soon report to High-A Everett for a quick minor-league rehab stint. Jose Caballero and Dylan Moore have been sharing starts at shortstop in his absence while Julio Rodriguez has been hitting leadoff.

Boston manager Alex Cora said Reyes will serve as the backup first baseman while Justin Turner plays through a bone bruise on his left heel, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Turner is limited to designated hitter duty for the time being, so Cora said Reyes will play first base whenever Triston Casas sits. Reyes has never played first base in the majors, but he's had a reliable bat of late, which the manager could use if needed. Reyes, who popped a two-run home run Wednesday, is batting .394 (13-for-33) with two home runs, three doubles, six RBI and seven runs scored over the last nine games.

Rojas went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 7-1 win over the Brewers.

Rojas has swatted all three of his homers this season over 15 games in August, though he's hitting a meager .233 for the month. His blast in the second inning Wednesday put the Dodgers ahead for good as they continue to roll. The shortstop is at a .220/.274/.297 slash line with 23 RBI, 36 runs scored and seven stolen bases through 92 contests.

Rocchio went 3-for-4 in Wednesday's 7-2 loss to the Reds.

Rocchio has multiple hits in three of his last seven games, though this was the first time he was in the lineup since Saturday. The shortstop is batting .288 with a .674 OPS, no home runs, four RBI, six runs scored and no stolen bases through 55 plate appearances. With Jose Tena optioned to Triple-A Columbus, Rocchio will compete with Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman for playing time at shortstop going forward.

McLain went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, three RBI and two steals in Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Guardians.

McLain opened the scoring Wednesday with an RBI double in the first inning before adding a two-run homer off Noah Syndergaard in the fourth. The 24-year-old shortstop would also add his 10th and 11th stolen bases in the contest. McLain's huge night snapped a brief slump -- he'd gone 5-for-32 (.156) over his previous eight games. He's now slashing .298/.363/.514 with 13 homers, 56 runs scored and 44 RBI through 358 plate appearances in an impressive rookie campaign.