MLB Player News

De La Cruz started at shortstop and walked twice before being removed for a pinch hitter in Thursday's 8-2 loss to the Tigers.

It's the first time since De La Cruz debuted in June that he was removed for a pinch hitter. A second-half downturn and a manager seeking any tactical edge in a playoff hunt has impacted the rookie's usage. He batted seventh against a left-hander Tuesday, was not in the starting lineup Wednesday, then batted eighth against a right-hander Thursday. Despite dropping De La Cruz in the order, Bell said he still has confidence in him, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "Elly's going to continue to be a big part of our team, obviously," Bell said. "But where we are right now, every little tiny edge [is important]." Until this week, De La Cruz had been exempt from such tactics, but a .181 batting average and .606 OPS since the All-Star break has changed that.

The Angels selected Fletcher's contract from Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

With Luis Rengifo (biceps) headed for the 60-day injured list, Fletcher will return to the active roster after being outrighted to Triple-A in July. The 29-year-old has slashed .213/.245/.298 across 49 plate appearances in the majors this year, and he'll likely serve as infield depth to close out the season.

The Angels optioned Paris to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Paris earned a Sept. 1 call-up from Double-A Rocket City, where he had posted an .810 OPS with 14 homers and 44 steals through 113 games this season. He'll now head to the Triple-A level, and maybe finish the year there, after going 3-for-32 (.094) with zero extra-base hits and 12 strikeouts across his first 13 big-league games.

Story isn't in the Red Sox's lineup for the second game of Thursday's doubleheader with the Yankees, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

After going 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI en route to the team's victory in Game 1, Story will get a breather to conclude the series. Ceddanne Rafaela will fill in at shortstop and bat in the leadoff spot while Story rests.

Clement is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rangers.

Though he drew the start at shortstop in Wednesday's 10-0 loss to Texas, Clement has moved back into a utility role since Bo Bichette was reinstated from the 10-day injured list last Friday. Clement is now on the bench for the third time in four games and is expected to see few opportunities moving forward now that Toronto has recently welcomed both of its regular starters on the left side of the infield (Bichette and Matt Chapman) back from the IL.

Correa remains out of the lineup Thursday versus the White Sox.

It's the second straight absence for Correa, who has battled plantar fasciitis throughout the summer. He could be in for regular maintenance days down the stretch with the Twins holding a commanding lead on first place in the AL Central standings. Kyle Farmer will play shortstop and bat eighth Thursday in Chicago.

Lawlar is not in the lineup Thursday against the Mets.

Lawlar has gone 2-for-16 (.125) with no walks and seven strikeouts in five major-league games since his promotion from Triple-A Reno last week. Geraldo Perdomo will start at shortstop and bat ninth for the Diamondbacks on Thursday as Emmanuel Rivera covers third base and hits eighth.

Wendle remains out of the lineup Thursday at Milwaukee.

Wendle has batted just .222/.257/.323 in 103 games (299 plate appearances) this season and seems to have finally lost his grip on a starting role. Garrett Hampson is playing shortstop Thursday for the fourth time in the Marlins' last six games. Three of those starts for Hampson have come against right-handers, including Thursday's tilt versus Brewers righty Adrian Houser.

Williams is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Nationals.

Williams has now started just two of the last six games and four of the previous 10 contests. Liover Peguero is at shortstop Thursday and appears to have usurped Williams as the preferred option at the position for the Pirates.

Mateo went 1-for-1 with a walk and a stolen base in Wednesday's 1-0 loss against St. Louis.

While Mateo's seen limited playing time in the short side of a platoon, he's been productive when on the field, going 6-for-17 (.353) with three steals in his last six games. He's up to 29 stolen bases this season, putting him on pace to top the 30-steal mark for the second consecutive year. Overall, Mateo is slashing .215/.266/.342 with seven homers, 52 runs scored and 32 RBI across 328 plate appearances on the campaign.