MLB Player News

Crawford (forearm) is starting at shortstop and batting seventh Saturday against the Royals, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Crawford missed one game with mild forearm tightness but returned to action Friday and went 0-for-3 with a walk. The veteran shortstop went 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and a stolen base in the second game of the season, but he's otherwise hitless in his other 19 plate appearances.

Crawford went 2-for-4 with two RBI from a pair of run-scoring doubles and two runs in a win over the Guardians on Friday.

The veteran shortstop made plenty of noise out of the No. 9 spot in the order, belting RBI two-baggers in both the fifth and sixth innings to plate Cooper Hummel and Jarred Kelenic, respectively. Crawford opened the season with just one hit in his first 14 plate appearances, but he's now recorded a trio of two-hit efforts over the last four contests.

Pena is starting at shortstop and batting sixth Saturday against the Twins, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Pena hit atop the order in the Astros' first eight games of the season, but he'll move down the lineup after going 0-for-5 with four strikeouts Friday, which dropped his average to .171. Chas McCormick will bat leadoff Saturday as manager Dusty Baker tries to replace Jose Altuve (thumb) atop the lineup.

Smith started in left field and went 1-for-2 and was hit by a pitch in Friday's 2-0 loss to the Cubs.

Smith returned to action after recovering from a facial injury, which was the result of being hit by a pitch. The utility man has been hit by pitches three times in 11 plate appearances. With news that center fielder Leody Taveras (oblique) has begun a rehab assignment, Smith's days as the starting left fielder against right-handers are numbered. When Taveras is ready, Robbie Grossman is expected to move from right to left field, while Adolis Garcia slides from center to right field.

Ahmed went 1-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 6-3 win over the Dodgers.

Ahmed returned to the lineup after sitting against a pair of right-handers and provided space for the Diamondbacks. The shortstop helped turn a one-run, eighth-inning lead into a more comfortable three-run lead. An infield single plated Evan Longoria, then after stealing his first bag of the season, Ahmed trotted home on Gabriel Moreno's double. He's started at shortstop whenever Arizona faced a lefty, while Geraldo Perdomo got the calls against righties. It's important to note the plan is to bring Ahmed along slowly early in 2023 following last year's shoulder surgery, so he could reclaim a greater share of playing time as the season moves forward.

Tovar went 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored Friday against the Nationals.

Tovar came to the plate with runners on first and second in the seventh inning and he delivered an RBI double before also coming around to score in the same frame. He's enjoyed the team's first homestand of the season and is now in the midst of a modest three-game hitting streak. Despite his performance picking up of late, Tovar still has only five hits across 25 at-bats to start the season, and he's also struck out nine times.

Franco went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Friday against the Athletics.

Franco took Adam Oller deep in the eighth inning to tally his third homer of the season and second in as many games. He's gotten off to an impressive start to the new campaign, as he has at least one hit in six of seven contests and has tallied multiple hits on four occasions. Overall, Franco has chipped in across the board with two stolen bases, five runs scored and eight RBI.

Anderson went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two stolen bases and four runs scored Friday against the Pirates.

Anderson snapped out of a short cold stretch, as he tallied his fourth multi-hit game of the season and first since April 1. He also remained aggressive on the basepaths, and his pair of stolen bases Friday brought his total on the campaign to four. Overall, Anderson has also chipped in seven runs scored and four extra-base hits (all doubles) across 36 plate appearances.

Bichette went 2-for-4 with a go-ahead three-run home run and a double in Friday's win over the Angels.

With the Blue Jays trailing in the seventh inning, Bichette took Jimmy Herget deep to give Toronto a 4-3 lead and ultimately a victory. It's the second homer of the season for the shortstop, and he's driven in six runs. After getting off to a slow start in 2022 it's nice to see early success for Bichette, as seen in a .342/.359/.553 slash line over the first eight contests of 2023.

Abrams went 3-for-5 with two triples, three RBI and a run scored in Friday's 10-5 victory over Colorado.

Abrams tripled in two runs in the third inning, and two innings later his second three-bagger scored Lane Thomas to make it a 7-2 game. Over seven games and 25 at-bats, the 22-year-old is slashing .280/.333/.480 with three extra-base hits. The only disappointment so far with Abrams is that he hasn't used his impressive speed to steal a base yet.