MLB Player News

Ngoepe signed a contract with the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League, John Lott of The Athletic Toronto reports.

Ngoepe was released by the Blue Jays earlier in the month after hitting just .168/.304/.252 across 48 games with Triple-A Buffalo. The Blue Sox's season starts in November and wraps up in February, so he could latch on with a major-league team before spring training next season.

Polanco (hamstring) is not in the lineup versus the Indians on Thursday, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Polanco will receive another day off as he continues to recover from a left hamstring issue he suffered Sunday. In his place, Ehire Adrianza will start at shortstop and bat ninth. Consider Polanco day-to-day looking ahead to Friday's outing in Texas.

Urias went 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Wednesday's win over the Mariners.

Urias roped a single to right field in the third inning for his first career major-league hit in what was his second game. He added a double in the sixth frame and another single in the eighth. The rookie also narrowly missed out on his first career big-league home run -- it was taken away after a replay review. Urias has hit second in both of his starts for the Padres so far and figures to stick there as long as he holds his own at the dish.

Polanco is still dealing with a tight left hamstring and could remain on the bench until Friday's series opener in Texas, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Polanco exited Sunday's game with the injury and was left out of the starting lineup Tuesday and Wednesday. Per Phil Miller of the Star Tribune, Polanco was supposed to participate in a pre-game workout Wednesday, but wasn't able to do so because of inclement weather. Despite that, Polanco is available off the bench.

Polanco (leg) remains out of the lineup Wednesday against the Indians, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

He took swings in the cage, but will miss a second straight game due to cramping in his left leg. Ehire Adrianza will start at shortstop and hit eighth.

Lowe went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in a loss to the Braves on Tuesday.

It was another offensive breakthrough for the rookie, who'd yet to leave the yard before Tuesday. Lowe has now hit safely in four straight games and five of his last six overall, compiling six of his eight RBI thus far during that span. Lowe's average has seen a 122-point boost to .213 during that stretch, as the skill set he displayed at the plate in Triple-A Durham is starting to manifest more frequently at the big-league level.

Marte went 2-for-4 with a double in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Giants.

It's been a rather slow August for Marte, who turned in just his fourth multi-performance in 22 games this month. While he's still hitting a palatable .257 on the month, the infielder isn't contributing much in the way of counting stats with only one home run, one steal, three RBI and nine runs over that stretch. Fantasy owners in shallower leagues looking for a boost in the middle infield could probably explore other options at second base or shortstop on the waiver wire without much regret.

Albies went 3-for-3 with a walk, a double and three runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Rays.

His second-half slump has dropped Albies to the seventh spot in the Braves' batting order, but it looks like he might be coming out of it -- the 21-year-old is hitting .286 (10-for-35) over his last 10 games. Tuesday's double was his first extra-base hit since Aug. 12. Albies has already well exceeded expectations, but a big September would put a cherry on top of his impressive first full big-league campaign.

Hernandez started in right field and went 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a pair of runs scored in a win over Texas on Tuesday.

Hernandez has now started three of the Dodgers' past four contests, going a combined 7-for-12 over that stretch. Two of those starts have come at the expense of Yasiel Puig, who is currently mired in an offensive slump. The Dodgers are unlikely to give up on their enigmatic right fielder so quickly, but Hernandez could gain an extra start here and there if their recent hitting trends continue.

McNeil (quad) is starting Tuesday against the Cubs.

McNeil left Sunday's game against the Nationals with quad tightness and did not start Monday. The injury was evidently not a serious one, as he appeared off the bench Monday and will be active from the start of the game Tuesday.