MLB Player News

Tovar is not at risk of being demoted despite his poor start to the season, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

An 0-for-3 day Saturday against the Phillies dropped Tovar's slash line to .172/.232/.234 through 19 games. The 21-year-old looks overmatched, and with just five career Triple-A games under his belt, there's certainly a case to be made that he needs more time in the minors. The Rockies seemingly don't intend to make a move any time soon, however, instead letting him work through his slump at the big-league level.

Correa went 3-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in Saturday's 10-4 loss to Washington.

Correa singled in a run in the fifth to make the score 5-2 Nationals. The infielder has scuffled out of the gate, and this was his first multi-hit game since last Friday against the Yankees. It should only be a matter of time until Correa starts piling up the hits again -- he hasn't hit worse than .264 in the last four years.

Abrams went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 10-4 win over the Twins.

Abrams doubled the Nationals' lead to 8-2 with a three-run shot off Simeon Woods Richardson in the seventh inning. It's the first homer of the season for the shortstop and he's brought home eight runs over 19 games and 66 at-bats. Abrams has been shaky over the first three-plus weeks of the season, but his speed (3 steals) has brought glimpses of fantasy hope in that short timeframe.

Mateo (hip) was a late scratch from the lineup for Saturday's game against the Tigers, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Mateo was originally scheduled to return to the lineup for the first time since leaving Wednesday's game with right hip discomfort, but the late scratch suggests that Baltimore wants to give the shortstop at least one more day of rest before return. Gunnar Henderson will start at shortstop and hit eighth against the Tigers in Mateo's absence.

Mateo (hip) will bat sixth and play shortstop Saturday against the Tigers, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Mateo hadn't played since leaving Wednesday's game against Washington with right hip discomfort, though he was available off the bench Friday. He's gotten off to an excellent start, hitting .362 with three homers and eight steals through 16 games.

Volpe went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's win over Toronto.

It's the second homer of the season for Volpe, and it was a big one, as it broke a scoreless tie in the eighth inning off Yimi Garcia. The talented rookie got off to a dreadful start with a .129 average over his first 10 games, but he's been much better at the plate since then, pushing his season average up to .200, and he appears to be thriving in the leadoff spot. There will be some highs and lows with Volpe over his first year of MLB action, but there should be enough good to justify the frustrating spurts where he struggles.

Crawford (ribs) will bat sixth and play shortstop Saturday against the Mets, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Crawford sat Friday due to discomfort in his ribs, but he's evidently good to go Saturday. He's struggled at the plate to start the year, hitting .151/.250/.283, though he does have a pair of home runs through 60 plate appearances.

Baez went 1-for-4 with an RBI single and a stolen base in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Orioles.

Baez didn't have a great game, but he was the lone offensive bright spot for the Tigers on a night the team mustered only five hits. The hit also extended his hitting streak to seven games, so it looks like the shortstop is getting going a little bit, though he's still batting only .200 for the season.

Giants managers Gabe Kapler said prior to Friday's game against the Mets that Crawford is feeling discomfort in his rib area, Danny Emerman of KNBR 680 San Francisco reports.

Crawford is on the bench Friday due to the injury, though the lefty-hitting shortstop may have been out of the lineup anyway with southpaw Joey Lucchesi taking the hill for the Mets. Kapler noted that Crawford felt discomfort after diving to his left during Thursday's 9-4 loss in the series opener. He should be viewed as day-to-day for the time being.

Crawford is out of the lineup for Friday's contest against the Mets.

He'll sit for a second straight matchup against a southpaw, in this case Joey Lucchesi. With Crawford on the bench, Thairo Estrada will play shortstop with David Villar handling second base duties.