MLB Player News

Smith batted third and went 1-for-3 in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Twins.

Smith, who made a 10th consecutive start, batted out of the three hole for a second straight game. Earlier in the week, he batted cleanup. He's been an under-the-radar producer for the Rangers, ranking second among the team's regulars with a .782 OPS, and he has been rewarded with a promotion in the order against right-handers.

Alexander (2-3) took the loss Friday as the Rays fell 8-1 to the Royals, surrendering eight runs on 11 hits and a walk over five relief innings. He struck out four.

The lefty entered the game after Shawn Armstrong delivered two perfect innings as the opener, but Kansas City quickly got to Alexander. The eight runs and 11 hits were both seasons worsts for the 29-year-old, and over his last three outings he's been tagged for 17 runs in 19.1 innings. Alexander will carry a 6.06 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 41:13 K:BB through 52 innings into his next appearance, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the A's.

Seager went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Friday's 3-2 loss to Minnesota.

Seager returned to the lineup Friday after a day off, and his bat remained hot. He homered for a fourth straight game, connecting in his first at-bat to give the Rangers an early 2-0 lead. He's hit safely in eight straight (.357, five homers) and has an on-base streak of 18 games (.420 OBP, seven homers).

Hampson went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 8-1 win over the Rays.

Getting the start in center field and batting ninth with lefty Tyler Alexander lined up to be the primary pitcher for Tampa Bay, Hampson kept the line moving as he reached base three times, the second time he's accomplished that in his last six starts. Of late, the 29-year-old has mainly been used as a platoon partner for Kyle Isbel, and Hampson's been effective in that role -- on the season he's slashing .306/.359/.389 in 40 plate appearances against southpaws.

Urena was removed from his start in Friday's loss to the Twins due to swelling in his left lower leg, MLB.com reports.

Urena was hit by a comebacker in the ankle area of his left leg during the third inning but remained in the game. He made it through another two innings and attempted to warm up for the sixth when the discomfort became too much. Texas manager Bruce Bochy said the team wasn't too concerned about the injury, adding that Urena will be checked out again Saturday.

Lugo (8-1) picked up the win Friday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks over seven innings in an 8-1 victory over the Rays. He struck out three.

The veteran right-hander was stingy once again, giving up two earned runs or fewer for the sixth straight start despite a lack of dominance Friday (only eight swinging strikes among his 104 pitches). Lugo has gone 5-0 over that aforementioned six-start stretch with a 1.52 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 47:8 K:BB through 41.1 innings, and he'll look to keep rolling in his next trip to the mound, which lines up to come on the road next week in Minnesota.

Langford (hamstring) served as the designated hitter and went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored for Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.

Langford kicked off a rehab assignment as the DH for the Express and batted leadoff to ensure the maximum number of plate appearances. The Rangers will probably want to see him play the field before activating him. Round Rock continues its series with games Saturday and Sunday, which could be enough to have Langford ready for Tuesday's series opener against the Diamondbacks.

Benintendi went 0-for-4 with a stolen base Friday against the Orioles.

Benintendi has hit just .145 across 19 games in May and is hitless in five of his last seven starts. He did manage to swipe his second bag of the season, though that's hardly a consolation given his .183/.213/.263 slash line across 183 plate appearances.

Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored Friday against the Athletics.

Alvarez extended his hitting streak to six games, three of which have been multi-hit efforts. He also has five extra-base hits in that span, an important step forward in his production given his surprisingly low .192 ISO across 219 plate appearances to start the campaign.

Kwan (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with High-A Lake County on Saturday.

Kwan is scheduled to play both Saturday and Sunday. It's not clear if he'll be moved up to another affiliate following those games, but it seems Kwan has a good chance to beat the four-week projection he was given when he went on the injured list May 6. The Guardians' current road trip features a three-game series from Monday to Wednesday at Colorado before they come home for six games beginning Friday.