MLB Player News

Smith (back) has progressed to running the bases at full speed and is close to beginning a rehab assignment, the team's official site reports.

Smith has been sidelined since mid-June with his back strain, and it appears he's finally on the precipice of jumping into game action. Given how long he's been on the shelf -- and the fact the 27-year-old was already struggling to the tune of a .191 average and .546 OPS before getting injured -- a fairly extensive rehab assignment is likely to ensure Smith's timing at the plate is as sharp as possible.

Turner is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the Orioles, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Turner is hitless in the first two games of the series and also got ejected from Monday's contest for arguing balls and strikes, so the Phillies may have viewed Wednesday as a good time to give him a breather. Edmundo Sosa will handle shortstop in Turner's stead.

Arias may need season-ending surgery on his hand, John Brophy of PinstripedPros.com reports.

He dealt with a thumb injury last year in his first pro season, which affected his performance in the Dominican Summer League. Arias flashed his upside prior to this year's injury, slashing .267/.423/.505 with six home runs and 17 steals while walking (27) almost as much as he struck out (29) in 27 games. He turns 19 in September and should head to Single-A Tampa for his full-season debut in 2024.

Velazquez went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in Tuesday's 7-6 victory over Detroit.

Velazquez is now 4-for-7 with a double and a home run in his last two games after going 0-for-11 over his previous 10 contests. It's been a nice run for the 29-year-old utilityman, though he isn't likely to provide much long-term value offensively -- he's now slashing .245/.339/.347 with one homer, one RBI, nine runs scored and nine stolen bases across 57 plate appearances this season. If Zach Neto (back) is forced to miss time, Velazquez should see regular playing time at shortstop.

The Giants recalled Luciano from Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

As expected, Luciano will join the Giants and will likely make his MLB debut Wednesday against the Athletics. The 21-year-old will look to bring some juice to an underperforming lineup after he produced a .292 average with two home runs, three RBI and five runs scored over 24 at-bats in six games with Sacramento upon earning a promotion from Double-A Richmond earlier this month. Luciano is one of San Francisco's top prospects and he will likely see extended run at shortstop moving forward.

Crawford is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Twins after he fouled a ball off his right knee in Tuesday's 9-7 win, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Heading into the week, Seattle had been planning to hold Crawford out of the lineup Wednesday for rest purposes, but the shortstop's absence from the lineup for the series finale may be the result of a legitimate injury. Though Crawford didn't exit early after fouling the ball off himself in the top of the ninth inning, manager Scott Servais said that the 28-year-old was feeling sore after the game, according to the Associated Press. The Mariners have an off day Thursday, so Crawford will have the benefit of extra rest before Seattle returns to action Friday in Arizona.

Crawford is not in the starting lineup Wednesday versus the Twins, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.

Crawford will get a breather after he went 3-for-8 with two doubles and two runs scored over the team's first two contests of the series. Dylan Moore will slot in at shortstop while Cade Marlowe enters the lineup in left field and bats seventh in the series finale with Minnesota.

Abrams went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Rockies.

The young shortstop continues to emerge as a fantasy force. Through 19 games in July, Abrams is slashing .342/.386/.566 with three homers, seven RBI and 19 runs while primarily hitting leadoff. He's also gone a perfect 11-for-11 on the basepaths this month, giving Abrams the first of what could be many 20-steal seasons.

Berti will start at third base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Rays, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Berti will make his fourth consecutive start and his sixth in seven contests overall. He'll be filling in for a resting Jean Segura on Wednesday, but Berti doesn't have a clear path to a regular role at any one position at the moment. In addition to third base, Berti has also made two starts apiece at shortstop and left field over the past week.

Tovar went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 6-5 loss to the Nationals.

The rookie shortstop produced his second straight multi-hit performance while launching his 10th homer of the year in the third inning off Trevor Williams. Since being away from the Rockies for a few days in mid-June while on paternity leave, Tovar has looked at lot more comfortable at the plate, slashing .281/.303/.479 over 24 games with four homers, two steals, 14 runs and 17 RBI.