MLB Player News

Lindor went 3-for-4 with one double, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 5-2 win over Washington.

After going homerless for 15 straight games -- his longest drought of the season -- Lindor has launched a long ball in back-to-back games to bring his season total to 21. While leading all shortstops with 21 homers, Lindor is also slashing .236/.323/.464 with 17 steals through 105 games.

Baez went 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 8-6 loss to the Marlins.

Baez entered the contest batting just .182 over his previous 10 games, so this was a step in the right direction. The shortstop is still batting just .225 for the season with a .594 OPS, making it another disappointing campaign in his second year with the Tigers. Baez may still make a splash here and there, though it's hard to trust him as a consistent fantasy performer at this point given his struggles in 2022 and 2023.

Crawford went 2-for-3 with a solo homer, a double, three runs scored and two walks in Sunday's win over Arizona.

Crawford belted a solo homer in the second inning between crossing home in the first and ninth frames. He's having a terrific month, going 31-for-91 (.341) with 14 extra-base hits and 15 runs scored through 24 July games. Crawford's season slash line is up to .265/.376/.413 through 418 plate appearances. His ninth home run of the year Sunday tied his career high set in 2021.

McLain went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 9-0 win over the Dodgers.

McLain had gone six games without a homer, though he's gone deep four times while batting .321 (17-for-53) since the All-Star break. The infielder is up to 11 long balls on the year. He's maintained a .305/.375/.530 slash line with 37 RBI, 50 runs scored and eight stolen bases over 65 contests. With Jonathan India (foot) going on the injured list, McLain may pick up a bit more time at second base rather than shortstop going forward, though he should still be a near-everyday player regardless.

De La Cruz went 4-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 9-0 win over the Dodgers.

De La Cruz had no trouble setting the table from the leadoff spot, and he also showed some power with his second-inning blast. Sunday's effort was already his third career four-hit game. The 21-year-old had gone 16 games without a multi-hit effort. He's now at a .277/.322/.473 slash line with seven homers, 20 RBI, 37 runs scored and 17 stolen bases through 46 contests.

Marcano said Sunday that he will likely require surgery to address ligament damage in his right knee, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Marcano injured his knee Monday in San Diego and was placed on the 60-day injured list a day later, officially ruling him out until late September. The Pirates' decision to quickly move Marcano to the 60-day IL already implied that a return before the end of the 2023 season was unlikely, and knee surgery would make that outcome official. If Marcano's season is in fact over, he'll finish with a .233/.276/.356 slash line to go with three home runs and five stolen bases across 220 plate appearances.

The Cardinals acquired Saggese, right-hander Tekoah Roby and left-hander John King from the Rangers on Sunday in exchange for left-hander Jordan Montgomery and right-hander Chris Stratton, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Of the three minor-league players heading back to St. Louis, Saggese projects to have the most long-term real-life and fantasy value. The 21-year-old has dabbled at shortstop, second base and third base during his time at Double-A Frisco this season, but he'll probably be a better fit defensively at one of the latter two positions once he reaches the big leagues. Saggese lacks any standout tools but has been a well above league-average hitter at each stop in the minors since being selected by Texas in the fifth round of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft. Over 417 plate appearances with Frisco this season, Saggese slashed .320/.385/.522 with an 8.5 percent walk rate, a 22.5 percent strikeout rate, 15 home runs and eight steals (in 10 attempts).

Chang is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Pablo Reyes will step in at shortstop after Chang manned the position for each of the last 11 games while slashing .194/.242/.355. Both Chang and Reyes are expected to see more limited opportunities at shortstop in the near future, as Trevor Story (elbow) appears on track to return from the 60-day injured list at some point during the upcoming week.

Wendle is not in the lineup for Sunday's game versus Detroit, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Wendle is 0-for-12 over his past five games and will take a seat Sunday with southpaw Tarik Skubal on the mound for the Tigers. Jon Berti will start at shortstop and bat cleanup.

Williams is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Williams will take a seat for the series finale after he started at shortstop in each of the past three games while going 1-for-9 with an RBI. Though Nick Gonzales and Liover Peguero will draw starts at the two middle-infield spots Sunday and appear to be the Pirates' preferred options at the positions for the time being, neither player has produced well enough yet to run away with an everyday role. As such, look for Williams to stay involved and occasionally poach starts from one of the two players while he's up with the big club.