MLB Player News

The Mets selected Arauz's contract from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday.

Arauz is starting at second base and batting seventh Wednesday against the Royals in what will be his first major-league game of the year. He had slashed .244/.344/.429 with 14 home runs and two stolen bases through 95 games this summer at the Triple-A level.

The Nationals optioned Garcia to Triple-A Rochester following Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Brewers, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Garcia, who was on the bench Wednesday but entered the contest late as a pinch hitter, will head back to the minors after going 12-for-61 (.197 average) while drawing just two walks in 18 games since the All-Star break. The Nationals haven't announced an immediate replacement for Garcia, but among players currently on the 26-man active roster, Ildemaro Vargas or Michael Chavis could be first in line to fill in for him at the keystone.

Gorman (back) will start at second base and bat third Wednesday against the Twins.

Gorman was on the bench for the Cardinals' last two games due to back soreness, but he'll be healthy enough to play the field Wednesday. The 23-year-old has made 26 of his starts this season as a designated hitter, but he'll likely see the overwhelming majority of his playing time at second base moving forward with Brendan Donovan (elbow) set to undergo season-ending surgery Wednesday.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Bae (ankle) will have an extended minor-league rehab assignment before being activated from the 10-day injured list, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Bae, who landed on the IL on July 2 with the left ankle injury, began his rehab assignment Tuesday at Triple-A Indianapolis and went 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored while playing five innings at second base. Tomczyk noted that the Pirates want Bae to get time at multiple positions prior to rejoining the big club, so the 24-year-old might not be a candidate for activation until next weekend at the earliest. Even though he'll get exposure to multiple spots, second base might be where Bae ends up seeing his most playing time once he's reinstated. Fellow rookies Liover Peguero and Nick Gonzales have been seeing time at the keystone of late, but both have struggled to keep their strikeouts in check.

Castro is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.

The 29-year-old has filled the strong side of a platoon at second base for most of the season, but he'll likely transition into a utility role after Brendan Rodgers made his return from the 60-day injured list Monday. The lefty-hitting Castro is on the bench for a second straight day, even with the Padres bringing a right-hander (Nick Martinez) to the hill.

Garcia is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Brewers, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

The Nationals are facing a lefty (Wade Miley) and playing a day game after a night game, so manager Dave Martinez likely viewed it as an opportune time to give the lefty-hitting Garcia a day off following a stretch of seven consecutive starts. Michael Chavis will replace Garcia at second base and bat ninth.

The Brewers optioned Miller to Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday.

Miller's demotion comes after he was on the bench for each of the past six games after losing hold of an everyday role following the Brewers' acquisition of Carlos Santana. The 26-year-old had been one of Milwaukee's better hitters over the first two months of the season, but he struggled mightily in July, slashing .178/.212/.247 on the month. He'll look to get back on track while playing regularly in Nashville and could end up settling into a short-side platoon role for the Brewers if he's brought back later in the season.

Gonzales will start at second base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Tigers, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Gonzales is back in the lineup after he had been on the bench for two of the Pirates' previous three games. Both of his absences came against right-handed pitchers, with Liover Peguero drawing starts at the keystone over Gonzales on both occasions. Since receiving a call-up from Triple-A Indianapolis in late June, Gonzales is slashing .222/.275/.364 with a 27.5 percent strikeout rate over 109 plate appearances. He could be on the odd man out of the Pittsburgh infield when Ji Hwan Bae (ankle) returns from the 10-day injured list.

Peguero is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Though he appears to have ceded primary duties at shortstop to Alika Williams, Peguero has manned second base on both of the past two occasions the Pirates faced right-handed starting pitchers. Peguero may have the edge on playing time at the keystone over Nick Gonzales, though the former will give way to the latter in the series finale. Both Peguero and Gonzales could see their opportunities at second base take a hit in the near future with Ji Hwan Bae (ankle) closing in on a return from the 10-day injured list.

Alu went 1-for-3 with a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's loss to the Brewers.

Getting the start at third base and batting eighth, Alu scored his first career run and picked up his first career RBI in his sixth big-league game. With Jeimer Candelario now a Cub, the door is open for Alu to get a long look at the hot corner, but if the 26-year-old isn't consistently productive, the Nats could turn to another option such as Carter Kieboom (oblique) or even top prospect Brady House, who has a .302/.364/.496 slash line across three levels of the minors this season.