MLB Player News

McNeil (abdomen) is back in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Marlins.

After missing one start due to abdominal tightness, McNeil will slot back in atop the order against right-hander Pablo Lopez. He has now led off in each of his last 19 starts -- including against four left-handers in that span. McNeil has an OPS over .900 against both lefties and righties this season, and he's striking out just 8.8 percent of the time overall (171 plate appearances).

Forsythe is out of Saturday's lineup against the Cardinals.

He has been swinging a red-hot bat, tallying 10 hits in 19 at-bats over his last five games. Danny Santana will start at shortstop and hit seventh in his stead.

Biggio went 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored and an RBI for Triple-A Buffalo on Friday.

The performance was a pretty typical one for the 24-year-old given his .320/.447/.533 slash line on the year, but more important for his chances of a promotion was the fact that Biggio got the start in left field Friday after spending the prior two games patrolling right field. He's now played five different positions this season for Buffalo, highlighting his future as a likely super-utility player in the majors, but his quickest path to a job in Toronto this season lies in the outfield.

Kemp entered Friday's game at second base after Aldemys Diaz was removed with a hamstring injury.

Kemp went hitless in three plate appearances but flashed leather in the field, making a run-saving stop in the fourth inning. He played second base in the minors, winning a Gold Glove in 2014, but he's played just 45 innings there in the majors. Pending Diaz's status, Kemp could be in line for a start at second base Saturday.

Manager AJ Hinch said Altuve (hamstring) is not expected to be activated off the 10-day injured list when eligible May 21, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

"I'm not anticipating him making it back in time for the 10 days, which is not that big a deal. Once we decided to put him on the IL, we wanted to make sure that he's right," said Hinch, who added that he "thinks it's a good idea" to have Altuve spend time on a rehab assignment. Altuve is pain-free, according to the manager, and he's expected to initiate baseball activities over the weekend. The second baseman has been riding a stationary bike and doing other forms of indoor rehab.

Marte went 2-for-4 with a double and knocked in a run in Friday's 7-0 win over the Giants.

Marte, who batted fifth Friday, leads the Diamondbacks with 31 RBI. He's been all over the batting order but to better take advantage of his .571 slugging with runners in scoring position, the Diamondbacks may want to bat him fifth or sixth in the order. In that alignment, he can take advantage of Arizona's best on-base guys placed in the upper half of the order. Nineteen of Marte's 31 RBI have come in the 23 games he's batted fifth or sixth.

Altuve (hamstring) is expected to get on the field and ramp up baseball activities within the next couple of days, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Altuve has not started a running program yet, but he appears to be close to increasing his activity level. "He's doing great, he's feeling better and is pain-free, and now we have to integrate the baseball stuff and see where that takes him towards the early parts of next week," stated manager A.J. Hinch.

Lowe went 2-for-3 with a double an RBI, a walk and a run scored Friday against the Yankees.

Lowe doubled home a run in the eighth inning to give the Rays a 2-1 lead, but the Yankees would rally in the bottom of the ninth to come away with the win. The 24-year-old continues to find success at the dish in 2019, slashing .293/.346/.543 with eight homers and 23 RBI over 38 games.

Drury is in the lineup for the third straight game Friday against the White Sox, batting seventh and playing right field.

Drury has had a fairly regular role for the Blue Jays throughout the season despite hitting .207/.246/.378. He should continue to have opportunities in the near future, particularly in right field, after Teoscar Hernandez was optioned Thursday.

Frazier won't start Friday's game against San Diego.

Frazier has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games, though he's slashing just .231/.250/.385 over that stretch. Kevin Newman will draw the start at second base and hit leadoff in Frazier's absence.