MLB Player News

Hoerner went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's victory over Miami.

All three hits were singles, but Hoerner grabbed an extra bag in the second inning against the battery of Pablo Lopez and Nick Fortes, his 12th steal this season. While he doesn't provide a ton of pop, the stolen bases and high batting average (.298) make Hoerner appealing in a variety of formats.

Vargas is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Padres.

Considered by many to be the top prospect in the organization, Vargas was added to the 40-man roster earlier this week and collected two hits in his MLB debut, but he's been on the bench for two of three games since. Even with Justin Turner (abdomen) on the injured list, the Dodgers' infield is crowded.

Villar was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Villar and Dixon Machado were the roster casualties for Brandon Crawford (knee) and Joc Pederson (concussion), though unlike Machado, Villar maintains his 40-man spot. An 11th-round pick in 2018, Villar struggled to a .175/.338/.286 slash line in his first taste of the majors, but the 25-year-old posted an OPS north of 1.000 in 66 games with Sacramento to begin the year (1.042).

Garcia is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Phillies.

It's a bit odd to see Garcia sitting given the run he's been on, collecting multiple hits in four of his last five games. The 22-year-old has a 1.016 OPS in his last 10 games. There has not been any word of an injury to this point, so perhaps the team just felt Garcia could use a day off. Ildemaro Vargas starts at shortstop.

Rojas went 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, a run, an RBI and a stolen base in a 6-5 win against the Rockies on Friday.

Rojas walked and scored in the first inning and doubled home a run and stole third in the seventh. The 28-year-old has been slumping a bit at the dish of late -- he's 3-for-24 over his last six contests -- but has swiped two bags in his last three games. Rojas is slashing .268/.343/.396 with six home runs, 40 runs, 31 RBI and 13 stolen bases across 74 games.

Gorman is not in Friday's lineup against the Yankees, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The lefty-hitting infielder/designated hitter will head to the bench with southpaw Nestor Cortes starting for the Yankees. Gorman is slashing .212/.288/.470 with five home runs, 25 strikeouts and seven walks in his last 20 games.

Gonzalez (heel) reported to the FCL Pirates to begin a rehab assignment Friday, John Dreker of PiratesProspects.com reports.

Gonzalez has been sidelined by plantar fasciitis since the end of May but has been cleared for game action in the Florida Complex League. The 23-year-old has a .742 OPS in 43 games for Double-A Altoona this year and will likely require a handful of rehab games before being reinstated to the active roster.

Hoerner is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Marlins, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Hoerner started the past 27 games and will take a seat Friday for the first time in over a month. The 25-year-old posted a .697 OPS during that stretch, and Christopher Morel will receive a look at shortstop in the series opener versus Miami.

Albies (foot) played catch Wednesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Albies shed his walking boot last week and is taking part in light baseball activities. Assuming he feels good after playing catch, the 25-year-old is expected to ramp up his rehab process over the next few weeks. Albies will likely be in the mix to return from the injured list around mid-to-late August.

Gorman isn't starting the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Cubs, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Gorman went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout during Thursday's matinee, but he'll rest for the second game since left-hander Sean Newcomb is on the mound for the Cubs. Paul Goldschmidt is serving as the designated hitter while Albert Pujols starts at first base.