MLB Player News

Fernandez started at third base and went 0-for-3 in Saturday's 5-1 loss to Seattle.

Fernandez was a late addition to the starting lineup after Nolan Arenado (undisclosed) was scratched. Arenado has been battling a groin injury since Tuesday but made an appearance as a pinch hitter and DH on Friday, only to foul a ball off his leg and get hit by a pitch on the arm in his two plate appearances. Fernandez has gone 3-for-12 with two doubles and an RBI this week as a fill-in at third base.

Cronenworth (concussion) has been running, playing catch and taking light swings in the batting cage, but he remains without a definitive timetable for a return, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union Tribune reports.

Cronenworth has been sidelined since landing on the 7-day concussion IL on May 5. It appears the utility man has been feeling well enough to take part in baseball activities, but manager Craig Stammen said Friday that Cronenworth's return to action is "going to be a pretty slow process." Cronenworth will likely need to get in some minor-league rehab games before he's activated, but at this point when that may happen is quite hazy.

Kurtz went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 6-4 win over the Yankees.

Kurtz is rebounding after a brief rough patch earlier in the week when he went 0-for-11 across three games versus the Mariners. He's now cranked a homer in consecutive contests against the Yankees, giving him 10 long balls on the year. Overall this season, the first baseman is batting .283 with a .925 OPS, 40 RBI, 38 runs scored, 11 doubles, one triple and six stolen bases across 57 games.

Guerrero went 4-for-5 with a double and two runs scored in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Orioles.

The star first baseman appeared to have led the Blue Jays to a win in Baltimore until Jeff Hoffman and the bullpen collapsed in the ninth inning and gave up a five-run, walk-off rally. Guerrero has gone 11 straight games without a homer, but despite the power outage, he's batting .400 (14-for-35) over that stretch with two doubles, two steals, four RBI, eight runs and an 8:3 BB:K.

Horwitz went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 10-9 win over the Twins.

Horwitz made an early impact, leading off the game with a homer before adding a single and scoring again in the second. It continued a magnificent May for the 28-year-old, who enters the final day of the month hitting .333 with 10 extra-base hits and 16 RBI through 25 games. On the season, he's slashing .292/.394/.470 with seven long balls, 26 RBI, 23 runs scored and one steal across 203 plate appearances.

Young went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Marlins.

Young singled and scored a run in the fourth inning before launching a solo shot in the sixth. It marked the first homer of the year for the 30-year-old, who's gone 3-for-9 with four runs scored since being activated from the injured list Tuesday. He's slashing .345/.412/.517 with three extra-base hits, three RBI and six runs scored across just 34 plate appearances and should see regular time against right-handed pitching as long as he continues to perform.

France went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in a 7-5 win against Washington on Friday.

France's long ball was a big one, as he tied the game 5-5 with a solo shot in the sixth inning. The veteran infielder is holding down the strong side of a first-base platoon and has given San Diego an offensive boost with a .286/.314/.541 slash line, six homers, 17 RBI and one stolen base through 36 contests. France is again starting at first base while batting seventh Saturday in the second game of the series.

Norby isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Mets.

Norby will get a breather after going 1-for-5 with three strikeouts during Friday's series opener. Liam Hicks will get the nod at first base Saturday, and Leo Jimenez will serve as the DH.

Murakami has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain and is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.

Murakami suffered the injury while running to first base after hitting a grounder Friday versus Detroit. The star rookie landed on the 10-day IL earlier Saturday, and he will miss far more than the minimum. While Murakami is sidelined, Miguel Vargas is expected to move from the hot corner to make most of the team's starts at first base, and Colson Montgomery is shifting from shortstop to third base for Saturday's contest.

The White Sox placed Murakami on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a right hamstring strain.

Murakami suffered the injury while running to first base in the third inning of Friday's contest, and manager Will Venable said after the game that the slugging first baseman will be out for at least a couple of weeks. Jacob Gonzalez was promoted from Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move to replenish Chicago's infield depth, and Miguel Vargas will likely take over as the first baseman until Murakami returns.