MLB Player News

Albies (elbow) is starting at second base and batting eighth Tuesday against the Phillies.

Albies missed Sunday's matchup after being struck by a pitch on his left elbow during Saturday's game, but following a day off Monday, he'll return to the starting nine for the series opener. He's batting .267 with two homers, six RBI and a stolen base over his last eight contests.

Hoerner (wrist) went 2-for-5 with a pair of singles in a rehab game with the Cubs' rookie-level affiliate Monday.

The 22-year-old has played in four Arizona League games since getting the green light to return to game action, and he has recorded multiple hits in all four. Hoerner, the No. 24 overall pick in last year's draft, landed on the 7-day IL in late April with what was diagnosed initially as a hand bruise. Things didn't go well when he tried to ramp up in May, and a CT scan later revealed a hairline fracture in his wrist. Now that the wrist is seemingly healed, it probably won't be too long before he's back with Double-A Tennessee.

Frazier, who collected five hits Monday, batted first in the lineup for the first time since May 29.

The second baseman hit leadoff only because Kevin Newman sat out after seeing his 19-game hitting streak come to an end over the weekend. Though he hit .266 with no homers in June, he's shown the ability to go on long streaks. In 2018, Frazier slashed .306/.357/.533 in his final 196 plate appearances following a month-long demotion.

Biggio went 3-for-5 with a double, a run and four RBI in Monday's 11-4 win over the Royals.

Biggio was one of five Blue Jays to finish with three or more hits in the Canada Day blowout. The rookie has been an on-base machine for the Jays since arriving to the big leagues in late May, but he's started to become an asset in the batting-average category lately, too. He's gone 12-for-36 (.333 average) over his last nine contests, though an unsustainable .458 BABIP over that stretch has certainly helped his cause.

Frazier went 5-for-6 with four doubles, two RBI and three runs scored in Monday's 18-5 win over the Cubs.

Several Pirates had career days in Monday's offensive explosion and Frazier was no exception. It was his first career five-hit performance and raised his OPS from .672 to .706. With rookie Kevin Newman swinging a hot bat, Frazier needs to continue making an impact at the plate to keep himself in the lineup.

Lopez went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored Sunday in the Royals' 7-6 win over the Blue Jays.

Since moving back into the No. 2 hole with Adalberto Mondesi (groin) on the shelf, Lopez is hitting .282 with three RBI and 10 runs in 10 games. The climb up in the lineup hasn't had much of an impact on Lopez's involvement in the running game, however. He was caught stealing in Sunday's contest, marking his only stolen-base attempt during that 10-game stretch. He'll be back in action for Monday's series finale as the Royals' starting second baseman and No. 2 hitter, per Joel Goldberg of FOX Sports Kansas City.

Marte started in center field and went 0-for-4 with an RBI in Sunday's 10-4 loss to the Giants.

This was Marte's first outfield start in 10 days. He had been limited to infield-only duty as he worked his way back from a groin injury suffered June 21. Since missing two games due to the injury, Marte is 8-for-26 (.308) with a walk, two doubles and an RBI over seven games.

McNeil went 3-for-5 with two runs batted in and a stolen base in a victory over Atlanta on Sunday.

On the day he was named to the All-Star team for the first time, McNeil recorded his eighth game of three or more hits this season and took over the major-league lead in batting average. The performance culminated a transcendent June in which McNeil hit .373 (38-for-102) with four homers and 17 runs batted in. For the season, the second-year star is slashing .348/.412/.509 in 267 at-bats.

Rodriguez was optioned to Triple-A Toledo following Sunday's game against the Nationals.

Rodriguez struggled to a .218 average over 52 games in the big leagues, resulting in a demotion for the 27-year-old. Jordy Mercer (quadriceps) is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list Monday in a corresponding move.

Rengifo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

Andrelton Simmons and Tommy La Stella will man the middle-infield spots in the series finale, resulting in Rengifo heading to the bench after a string of 11 consecutive starts. Though Rengifo has found success at the plate recently with a .341 average and five extra-base hits over that 11-game span, his opportunities seem likely to decline now that Simmons is healthy again after an extended stay on the injured list.