MLB Player News

Kemp went 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI in a 4-2 win over the Astros on Wednesday.

Kemp's RBI double in the fifth inning cashed in the Athletics' third run of the game and helped his team become the first to sweep the Astros in 2022. The three-hit game from the two-hole lifted Kemp's season-long average to .216. His career batting average is .241 and his 2022 BABIP is .243, so it is possible that the veteran's numbers continue to normalize over the remainder of the season.

Lux went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI in a 7-1 win over the Nationals on Wednesday.

Lux's three-hit performance against the Nationals punctuated his red-hot July. The 24-year-old second baseman has an OPS of 1.004 this month and is in the midst of a breakout season. His 2.8 Fangraphs WAR is equal to Pete Alonso's and a touch higher than those of Kyle Tucker and Vladimir Guerrero. Lux also has a BABIP of .363, so it is worth watching to see if his numbers regress over the remainder of the season.

Torres sent 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Mets.

Torres took David Peterson deep in the eighth inning to tie the game, but the Mets ultimately walked it off in the ninth. While he's hitting just .179 (7-for-39) in his last nine games, Torres has gone deep three times and racked up seven RBI in that span. He's cooled off from a hot start to July, but he's still slashing .263/.322/.481 with 16 homers, 45 RBI, 46 runs scored and five stolen bases in 87 contests this season.

Gorman went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a stolen base and an additional run in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Blue Jays.

Gorman entered Wednesday in an 0-for-13 slump, and he had seven strikeouts in that span. He hit a single in the third inning and a solo shot in the fifth to produce his first multi-hit effort since July 7. The infielder is slashing .229/.303/.430 with 10 homers, 23 RBI, 28 runs scored and six doubles through 198 plate appearances, and his steal Wednesday was his first at the major-league level. The rookie will likely remain on the strong side of a platoon at second base, but he's only started against a southpaw once this year.

Guillorme is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.

Guillorme picked up three consecutive starts coming out of the All-Star break, but he'll find himself on the bench for both contests of the interleague series with the Yankees. While Jeff McNeil, Eduardo Escobar and Francisco Lindor are all healthy, they'll continue to serve as the primary options at second base, third base and shortstop, respectively, closing off all of Guillorme's avenues to regular at-bats.

Biggio will start at second base and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.

Biggio will be filling in for a resting Santiago Espinal in what marks the former's fourth consecutive start. The 27-year-old will carry a five-game hitting streak into Wednesday's contest, but Biggio is unlikely to handle anything more than a part-time role moving forward while all of Toronto's key regulars are healthy.

Gimenez is not in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Gimenez will get a day off after he went 8-for-23 with a homer, two RBI and three runs while starting six games since the All-Star break. Owen Miller will take over at second base and bat sixth versus Boston.

Espinal isn't starting Wednesday against the Cardinals.

Espinal has gone 4-for-13 with six runs, three RBI, two walks and two strikeouts over four games since the All-Star break, and he'll take a seat for the second time in the last three matchups. Cavan Biggio is taking over at the keystone and batting sixth.

Rengifo went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's 6-0 win over the Royals.

Rengifo will take a nine-game hitting streak into Wednesday's series finale, with the 25-year-old starting at shortstop and batting third in that contest. Dating back to June 22, Rengifo has failed to produce a hit in only two of his 26 starts and is slashing .347/.385/.500 over that stretch. For fantasy managers in need of a batting-average buffer, Rengifo is worth a look in shallower mixed leagues where he may still be available.

Villar will sit Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Villar will get a breather after he went 1-for-6 with a strikeout over the first two games of the series. Tommy La Stella will slide over to third base while LaMonte Wade enters the the lineup at designated hitter and bats eighth in the series finale.