MLB Player News

Kreidler is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest in Kansas City.

Kreidler had made four consecutive starts at shortstop, but he will begin Thursday's festivities on the bench. Tristan Gray will occupy shortstop in Kreidler's stead as the Twins try to avoid being swept.

Neto went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Orioles.

Batting cleanup as opposed to his customary leadoff spot Thursday, Neto responded by showing off his power stroke. The shortstop snapped a long power outage, last going deep July 5, so it's possible the Angels will keep him in the No. 4 lineup position in an attempt to keep his power up. Through 502 plate appearances, Neto is slashing .230/.317/.426 with 20 homers, 50 RBI, 14 stolen bases and 74 runs scored.

Betts went 4-for-5 with a run in a loss to the Cubs on Wednesday.

All four knocks were singles, but it was still a promising performance after Betts went 1-for-16 over his previous five games. The star shortstop is in the midst of a quiet season offensively, as his .685 OPS through 78 contests is easily on pace for a career-worst mark. It's worth noting that Betts was carrying a .657 OPS before collecting three hits on the same date (Aug. 5) last year, spurring a hot stretch that resulted in an .892 OPS across his final 47 contests, so there's at least a precedent for those hoping the 2018 AL MVP can turn things around before the end of the campaign.

Wilson is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest in Cincinnati.

Wilson homered three times in a four-game span shortly after the All-Star break, but he's gone just 8-for-49 at the dish across his subsequent 12 contests. Alika Williams will handle shortstop duties for the Athletics while Wilson gets a break.

The Royals outrighted Velazquez to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

Velazquez had been booted from the 40-man roster after going 1-for-15 at the dish for the Royals. He has the ability to elect free agency, but if Velazquez sticks around, he will give Kansas City some experienced infield depth at Omaha.

Story (sports hernia) will be re-evaluated at the end of the team's current homestand to determine when he can begin a rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.

The Red Sox finish up with the White Sox at Fenway Park on Thursday and then host the Athletics through the weekend before heading out on the road. If Story is ready to begin an assignment, he may need a handful of games, given he's been sidelined since the middle of May. The Red Sox have caught fire without Story and could slow-walk his rehab as to not disrupt the chemistry the club has built while going 30-5 since June 25.

Monasterio went 1-for-2 with a stolen base and an RBI in Wednesday's 4-0 win over the White Sox.

Monasterio has emerged from nowhere to become Boston's starting shortstop and is holding his own. Wednesday, he extended an on-base streak to 17 games, during which he's 22-for-55 (.400) with seven walks (.470 OBP), one steal, eight doubles, one triple, two home runs, 13 RBI and 10 runs scored. The player Monasterio replaced, Marcelo Mayer (forearm), has since been traded to the Giants. Mayer had been a replacement for the injured Trevor Story (sports hernia), who will be re-evaluated after Boston's current homestand to determine how close he is to a minor-league rehab assignment.

Emerson went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Tigers.

Emerson had gone 29 games without a long ball prior to Wednesday, hitting .181 with just one double and five RBI in that span. He also struck out at a 34.3 percent rate during the power drought. The infielder is batting .199 with a .617 OPS, eight homers, 23 RBI, 24 runs scored, six doubles, one triple and three stolen bases over his first 62 major-league games. Emerson also has a 32.6 percent strikeout rate on the year, so his average is likely to remain suppressed until he can make more consistent contact.

Genao went 4-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Mets.

It was a night to remember for Genao, as he became just the 22nd player in the modern era to record four or more hits in their MLB debut. Genao got the start at third base Wednesday with Jose Ramirez (hand) sidelined, though he'll likely see most of his playing time at shortstop moving forward, as Brayan Rocchio's gone just 3-for-35 (.086) in his last 10 games. Across 309 plate appearances with Triple-A Columbus this season, Genao slashed .309/.395/.494 with 10 homers, 48 runs scored, 42 RBI and nine stolen bases.

Abrams went 3-for-5 with a triple, three RBI, two runs and a steal during the Nationals' 10-4 extra-innings win over the Phillies on Wednesday.

Abrams kick-started the Nationals' six-run 10th inning with a two-run triple deep to center field before coming home on a sacrifice bunt. It was the 11th game this season that Abrams has driven in at least three runs, and his 88 RBI lead the majors. He also ranks eighth in both home runs (28) and OPS (.921) and 13th in both steals (21) and batting average (.290).