MLB Player News

Lopez went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Red Sox.

Lopez has seen some increased freedom to run in August -- he's already recorded four steals in six games this month after logging just two thefts in all of July. He's gone 5-for-17 (.294) in August, putting his season slash line at .247/.305/.294 with 11 steals, 13 RBI, 39 runs scored, 11 doubles and two triples through 102 contests. Lopez should continue seeing steady playing time in the middle infield and occasionally at third base as one of the more veteran infielders on the Royals' young roster.

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.

Kemp won't start Saturday's game against the Giants.

Kemp's off day here against Carlos Rodon means he's now been on the bench against the last seven lefties the Athletics have faced. Chad Pinder will get the nod in left field.

Altuve went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored and an RBI on Friday.

Altuve collected his fourth consecutive multi-hit game and his fifth time in his last six contests. He's hit .520 in that longer span, also chipping in five runs scored and a stolen base. For the season, Altuve is hitting .287/.371/.517 across 396 plate appearances.

Rosario went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 9-3 loss to the Astros.

Rosario has gone 6-for-23 (.261) with three homers and a double through five games in August. Considering he entered the month with just four long balls all season, it's a notable power surge for the shortstop. He's slashing .289/.323/.415 with 42 RBI, 59 runs scored and 10 stolen bases through 100 contests.

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.

Espinal went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Twins.

Espinal's homer was his first since June 30 and his first extra-base hit since July 7. He picked a bad time to go cold -- he's gone 4-for-24 (.167) in his last nine games and no longer has a regular role in the lineup with the Blue Jays adding Whit Merrifield at the trade deadline. For the season, Espinal has a .265/.316/.383 slash line with seven long balls, 41 RBI, 40 runs scored, five stolen bases and 21 doubles, but he'll likely be limited to a bench role when the Blue Jays are at full health.