MLB Player News

Crawford said Thursday that he's already shown improvement and won't require a cortisone shot for his inflamed left knee, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Crawford landed on the injured list Wednesday but may be sidelined for only the 10-day minimum, given that he seems to be making good progress in his recovery. Casey Schmitt is expected to serve as the Giants' primary shortstop for however long Crawford is on the shelf.

McLain is out of the lineup Thursday against the Giants.

It's a rare day off for the rookie infielder. The Reds are going with Elly De La Cruz at shortstop and Spencer Steer at third base for their matinee versus San Francisco.

Ahmed went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Wednesday's 5-3 win over Atlanta.

Ahmed doubled home a run in the sixth inning then singled in another in the eighth. Those proved to be key insurance runs when Atlanta scored in the seventh and ninth innings. The emergence of Geraldo Perdomo, who typically starts against righties, has limited Ahmed's opportunities, but the 33-year-old started against righty Charlie Morton on Wednesday. He's slashing .311/.364/.459 against right-handers in 2023.

Abrams went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 8-3 loss to the Cubs.

Abrams has multiple hits in nine of 14 games in July, and he's added nine of his 18 steals on the season in that span. The shortstop has thrived atop the order, going 15-for-37 (.405) from that spot since he moved there July 7. Abrams has lifted his slash line to .254/.302/.414 with eight home runs, 36 RBI, 43 runs scored, 17 doubles and four triples over 87 contests overall.

Cubs manager David Ross said Wednesday that he's optimistic Swanson (heel) will be able to return this weekend, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Swanson began taking batting practice Monday and has increased his level of baseball activity in the days since with no apparent issues. The shortstop has been on the shelf since July 8 because of a bruised left heel.

Crawford was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, retroactive to July 17, with left knee inflammation.

Crawford will be sidelined for at least the next eight days with another leg injury. He's slashed just .207/.285/.333 in 64 games (222 plate appearances) this season when healthy.

Perdomo is absent from the lineup Wednesday at Atlanta.

Nick Ahmed will start at shortstop and bat eighth versus right-hander Charlie Morton and the NL East leaders. This looks to be a routine day of rest for Perdomo, who had two hits and two RBI in the Diamondbacks' 16-13 defeat of Atlanta on Tuesday night.

Allen will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Allen will pick up a sixth straight start at shortstop coming out of the All-Star break, but he may not have a long leash atop the depth chart. He's getting on base just 20 percent of the time thus far in the second half and has put together a .197/.243/.228 slash line across 139 plate appearances in the majors this season.

Franco is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Tampa Bay will withhold two of its top hitters from the lineup for the series finale in Franco and Randy Arozarena, with both players seemingly just receiving maintenance for the day game after a night game. Taylor Walls will fill in at shortstop and bat eighth in place of Franco, who went 0-for-7 with a walk between the first two games of the series.

Duran is not in the starting lineup Wednesday versus the Rays.

Duran will get a breather after he went 1-for-6 with a two-run home run, a walk and three strikeouts between the first two games of the series. Robbie Grossman will draw the start at designated hitter and bat eighth in the series finale with Tampa Bay.