MLB Player News

McLain is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Cincinnati will go with Elly De La Cruz and Edwin Arroyo as its starters in the middle infield for the second day in a row while McLain is relegated to the bench. Arroyo has generated a modest .644 OPS since his call-up from Triple-A Louisville on June 1 and may need to improve his production to seize control of an everyday at second base, but McLain hasn't done much to earn himself a larger share of the playing time. After going hitless in eight at-bats over his last three starts, McLain's batting average has dropped to .198 on the season.

Arroyo will start at second base and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Since Elly De La Cruz returned from the 10-day injured list Tuesday and pushed Matt McLain off shortstop, Arroyo and McLain have been splitting time at the keystone. Arroyo may hold a slight edge in playing time between the two, as he's started three games to McLain's two and will now be included in the lineup for a second straight day while the Reds go up against another righty (Mitch Keller). Since being called up from Triple-A Louisville on June 1, Arroyo has produced a pedestrian .263/.328/.316 over 65 plate appearances, so he likely has more work to do before taking firmer control of the second-base gig.

Nunez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

The Nationals will go with Jorbit Vivas at the keystone Sunday while Nunez heads to the bench for the first time since June 12. Nunez started each of the Nationals' last 14 games, slashing .386/.460/.500 with seven runs and seven RBI over that stretch. He also contributed seven stolen bases during that time, bringing his season total to an MLB-leading 32.

Lowe went 1-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Saturday's 9-7 loss to the Reds.

Lowe gave the Pirates an early lead with a three-run blast in the third inning before adding a sacrifice fly in the seventh. The 30-year-old has hit safely in 10 of his past 11 contests, tallying six extra-base hits, 10 RBI and eight runs scored during that stretch. On the year, he's slashing .246/.320/.515 with 20 homers, 56 RBI and 51 runs scored across 341 plate appearances.

Julien isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Minnesota.

Julien will grab a seat on the bench Saturday after going 1-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored during Friday's series opener. Tyler Freeman will shift to second base while Julien sits, opening up right field for Troy Johnston.

McLain isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Pittsburgh.

McLain has gone just 1-for-16 with eight strikeouts over his last five starts, and he'll now move to the bench to begin Saturday's contest. Edwin Arroyo will start at the keystone and bat ninth.

Arraez went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk in Friday's 3-1 loss to Atlanta.

Arraez returned to the lineup following a two-game absence with a right foot injury, hitting a leadoff double in the first inning and drawing a walk in the fifth. The veteran infielder has recorded a hit in 19 of his last 21 games dating back to May 31, batting .318 with 13 runs scored, 10 RBI, one home run and one stolen base across 100 plate appearances during that span. Overall, he's slashing .321/.360/.447 with 40 runs scored, 30 RBI, six stolen bases and three long balls in 337 plate appearances this season.

Arraez (foot) is back in the lineup for Friday's matchup against Atlanta, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

After missing the previous two games with a right foot injury, Arraez is back in the lineup for the series opener against Atlanta. The 29-year-old underwent X-rays that came back clean. Arraez will lead off and play second base in his return.

Lowe went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Mariners.

Lowe opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning with a 391-foot shot off Bryce Miller, his ninth homer of the year. The long ball also extended Lowe's current hitting streak to nine games -- he's gone 12-for-39 (.308) with a pair of homers and an .872 OPS in that span. He's slashing .249/.326/.515 with 51 RBI and 50 runs scored through 331 plate appearances in his first season with Pittsburgh.

The Mets placed Semien on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a left hip flexor strain.

Semien played every inning of both legs of Wednesday's doubleheader but evidently picked up a hip injury in the process. It's not clear at this point how long the veteran infielder will be sidelined. Brett Baty will likely see the bulk of the reps at second base while Semien is out.