MLB Player News

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Marte may begin playing second base in a game prior to the All-Star break, Jose M. Romero of the Arizona Republic reports.

Marte has served as the designated hitter the last three weeks since a hamstring injury cropped up in mid-June. Lovullo said he'll try to get Marte an inning or two late in a game before the break but added there's a schedule mapped out to get him back on the field after the All-Star game. The discomfort Marte is feeling is much less than before, but the Diamondbacks remain cautious.

Stefanic went 2-for-2 with two walks and a run in Sunday's loss to Baltimore.

Stefanic reached base in all four of his plate appearances in the loss, and he scored a run in the third inning on a Monte Harrison home run. Stefanic has only one extra-base hit (a double) in 22 plate appearances, but he's shown an astute ability to get on base with a .389 average and .500 OBP over 22 plate appearances. His major-league skill set has thus far proven to be in line with what he showed in the minors; over 210 plate appearances with Triple-A Salt Lake this season, the 26-year-old slashed .320/.410/.399 but had only 10 extra-base hits among his 57 total hits while posting a 25:12 BB:K.

Estrada isn't starting Monday's game against the Diamondbacks, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Estrada will get a breather after he went 2-for-5 with a homer, a double, two runs, two RBI and a strikeout Sunday against the Padres. Wilmer Flores is starting at the keystone while David Villar takes over at third base.

Kim (thumb) isn't starting Monday against the Rockies, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Kim aggravated a thumb injury Saturday and will be out of the lineup for a second consecutive game. CJ Abrams is starting at shortstop and batting eighth.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said that Lowe (back) will remain on his rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham through Thursday before potentially being activated from the 60-day injured list ahead of Friday's game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe has already played in two games for Durham, going 2-for-4 at the dish between those contests. Since Lowe has been on the shelf for nearly two months with a lower-back stress reaction, the Rays would ideally keep him on the assignment for the entire week to allow him to regain his timing at the plate, but he won't have many more opportunities to play in the minors with the All-Star break approaching. If Lowe makes it back from the IL this weekend, the Rays could be eased back into the lineup at designated hitter rather that has his typical spot at second base.

Chavis will start at first base and bat third in Monday's game against the Marlins.

Chavis will stick in the lineup for the fifth time in six games after he went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a double in Sunday's 8-6 win over the Brewers. Though his playing time has been trending up of late, the righty-hitting Chavis still appears poised to see most of his playing time against left-handed pitching moving forward. Yoshi Tsutsugo and Daniel Vogelbach both bat from the left side and should be the Pirates' preferred options at first base and designated hitter, respectively, when the team opposes righties.

Donovan (illness) isn't starting Monday's game against the Phillies.

Donovan continues to deal with a non-COVID-19-related illness and will be held out of the lineup for a third consecutive game. The worst of the ailment may be behind Donovan, however; Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat relays that the rookie returned to the clubhouse Monday and was able to do some running on the field. He could be available off the bench Monday and return to the lineup for Tuesday's series opener with the Dodgers.

McNeil was placed on the paternity list Monday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

As expected, McNeil will be away from the team for up to a few days while spending time with his family. Travis Jankowski (hand) was activated from the 10-day injured list Monday and will replace McNeil on the active roster.

Sosa (ankle) returned to Triple-A Charlotte's lineup over the weekend and went 1-for-10 with two walks across his three starts against Gwinnett.

Sosa was sidelined for just under a week with a minor ankle issue that didn't result in his placement on the 7-day injured list. The 22-year-old received his first big-league call-up earlier this summer, but until the White Sox lose patience with the underwhelming veteran duo of Josh Harrison and Leury Garcia at second base, Sosa may not get an extended look as a starter in the majors in 2022.

Miller is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.

Miller had started in five of the past six games, but he'll likely shift into more of a part-time role moving forward with Josh Naylor (back) making his return to the lineup. The righty-hitting Miller should play regularly at first base, second base or designated hitter when the Guardians oppose left-handed starting pitchers, however.