MLB Player News

Abrams went 2-for-5 with a solo home run against the Pirates in a loss Thursday.

Abrams was the only National to log multiple hits in the contest, and he hit the team's only homer -- a solo shot in the fifth inning. The shortstop has gotten off to a great start this season, slashing .333/.407/.667 with two homers, five RBI, five runs and three steals through six games. His speed remains his biggest asset from a fantasy perspective, but he slugged 18 long balls last year and has enough pop in his bat to exceed that number this season.

Kim went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Wednesday's 3-2 win against the Cardinals.

Kim reached base in half of his four plate appearances and notched his third steal of the season following a third-inning single. He is tied for third in the league in thefts in the early part of the campaign -- only Jarren Duran and Brice Turang, each of whom has six steals, have logged more. Kim has otherwise been fairly quiet so far, slashing .242/.333/.394 with a home run, four RBI and four runs through nine contests.

Witt went 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Orioles.

The 23-year-old shortstop continued his blistering start to the season. Witt has recorded multiple hits in four of the Royals' first six games, batting .400 (10-for-25) with four doubles, a triple, two homers, two steals, two RBI and six runs scored. Ronald Acuna was in uncharted territory last year with his 40-70 campaign, but if any other hitter in baseball has the talent to approach those numbers, it might be Witt.

Baez is not in the lineup for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader versus the Mets.

Zach McKinstry will get the start at shortstop in place of Baez. Baez is just 3-for-16 with a 6:0 K:BB in the early going this season. He'll likely be back at shortstop for the second contest Thursday.

Smith started at shortstop and went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Rays.

Smith filled in for Corey Seager, who served as the designated hitter Wednesday. Smith is also expected to get starts at third base while Josh Jung (wrist) takes 8-to-10 weeks to recover following surgery.

Duran started at third base and went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 4-1 win over Tampa Bay.

The Rangers have used Duran and Josh Smith at third base following Josh Jung's wrist injury and subsequent surgery. His recovery time was pushed out Wednesday from six weeks to eight-to-10 weeks. Justin Foscue was called up and could get time at the hot corner as well.

Alexander started at second base and went 1-for-2 with a walk and solo home run in Wednesday's 6-5 extra-innings loss to the Yankees.

Alexander got the start against a lefty -- no surprise there -- and gave the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead in the second inning with his first MLB homer. The right-handed hitting infielder was later removed in the ninth inning for pinch-hitter Jace Peterson against a righty reliever. Alexander could be needed in the coming days, as shortstop Geraldo Perdomo sustained a knee injury during the 10th inning and is day-to-day. The Diamondbacks are off Thursday and will travel to Atlanta for a weekend series. Right-hander Spencer Strider is the scheduled starter for Atlanta, which means if Perdomo isn't ready, then Arizona manager Torey Lovullo may turn to Peterson for a start.

Rojas went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional RBI against San Francisco in a 5-4 win Wednesday.

Rojas put the Dodgers on the board with a run-scoring groundout in the second inning, then gave the team a four-run lead with a solo shot in the fourth. The long ball was his second through nine plate appearances this season -- a surprising development given that he hasn't posted double-digit homers in any campaign since going deep a career-high 11 times in 2018. With that in mind, it's not logical to expect Rojas to continue to flash power, especially since he typically starts only when Los Angeles faces a lefty starter.

Pena went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in an 8-0 victory versus Toronto on Wednesday.

Pena knocked an RBI single in the fifth inning, then went deep with a two-run blast in the seventh. The long ball was the second across the shortstop's past three games, and he's knocked in six runs over that stretch. Pena has four multi-hit games on the campaign and is slashing .400/.444/.680 through 27 plate appearances.

Manager Torey Lovullo said after Wednesday's loss that Perdomo is day-to-day with right knee discomfort, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

Perdomo injured his knee rounding first base after reaching on an error during the bottom of the 10th inning. The team doesn't seem to be very concerned about his injury, and having a scheduled day off Thursday may allow the 24-year-old infielder to play again Friday against Atlanta without missing any games.