MLB Player News

Drury went 2-for-4 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 7-1 win over the Tigers.

His last five hits have all gone for extra bases (four doubles, one homer), boosting his slash line on the season to .312/.353/.468. That performance is buoyed by a .386 BABIP, however, and Drury's 10 RBI and 13 runs scored in 30 games are a bit disappointing considering how explosive the Arizona offense has been so far this season.

Arroyo went 2-for-5 against the Mets on Wednesday, plating three runs with a bases-loaded double in the top of the ninth.

That big hit came off Mets closer Jeurys Familia and served to provide the winning margin for the Giants. After absolutely murdering Triple-A pitching to open the year (.446/.478/.692 with three homers and two steals in 16 games), Arroyo's had a bit of a slower start in the majors, as he's hitting a fairly modest .242 with a .707 OPS thanks to an elevated 27.3 percent strikeout rate. Still, have patience with the 2013 first-rounder, as he hasn't looked overmatched in the big leagues and he's enjoying a regular role right now.

Merrifield is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Rays.

Merrifield's performance at the plate has been awful lately. Over the last seven games he's gone just 4-for-28 (.143) and struck out 11 times. His recent troubles have brought his line down to .197/.250/.318 for the season. Cheslor Cuthbert will start in place of Merrifield on Wednesday.

Motter entered Tuesday's 10-9 win over the Phillies in the fourth inning following Robinson Cano's quad injury and went 1-for-2 with a game-winning RBI double, a walk and a run.

Motter played a key role after being pressed into duty, with his ninth-inning two-bagger bringing home Jean Segura with what would turn out to be the winning run. The versatile utility man had been mired in a 2-for-17 slump that spanned the prior seven games, but he's now managed to smack a trio of doubles over the last three contests and has reached safely in all four games he's appeared in thus far in May.

Ngoepe went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts Tuesday against the Dodgers.

He has 14 strikeouts in 34 plate appearances and has seen his slash line drop to .250/.382/.357. Ngoepe's calling card is his strong defense, but the lifetime .232 hitter in the minors is struggling at the plate.

Drury went 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI in Tuesday's 7-3 loss to the Tigers.

Both two-baggers came off Justin Verlander. Unlike seemingly everyone else in MLB, Drury has had trouble this season getting the ball over the fence and has just one homer (against eight doubles and a triple) and nine RBI through 29 games. His production should increase as the weather warms up, though, and a potent Arizona offense should provide him with plenty of RBI opportunities going forward.

Hernandez entered Tuesday's contest after Andrew Toles exited with an apparent knee injury. He went 0-for-1 in an extra-inning win over the Pirates.

It is unclear how severe Toles' injury is, so Hernandez could be asked to fill in for a game or two. If the Dodgers' starting left fielder has to be placed on the disabled list, the club would likely call up a better-suited everyday option, which would push the utility man back into a bench role.

Forsythe (toe/hamstring) will not be active for either of the Dodgers' upcoming series against the Rockies or Giants, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Based on the reported timeline, Forsythe likely won't return to the Dodgers until May 18 at the earliest. The second baseman landed on the disabled list with a fractured toe on April 19, but suffered a setback after experiencing hamstring tightness during a recent minor-league rehab assignment. Further updates on his condition should become available as he continues to advance through his rehab program.

Espinosa is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Athletics, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Espinosa has just two hits in his last 50 at-bats and is batting just .142 on the season, so he'll take a seat as Cliff Pennington gets the nod at second base in his stead. If Espinosa doesn't turn things around quickly, he could continue to see Pennington steal some of his playing time.

Young is hitting .438/.471/.531 in May at Triple-A Iowa.

Young started the month with a .224 average and he's now hitting .282 following the hot stretch. Young is one of the organization's more polished minor league bats, but he doesn't really have an opening to the MLB roster with Javier Baez, Ben Zobrist and Addison Russell holding down the middle infield. Young could be an option if any of those guys go down with an injury, though.