MLB Player News

Haggerty entered Wednesday's loss to the Red Sox as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning and remained in the game at second base, going 1-for-1 with a double, a walk and a run.

It was a rare taste of both action and offensive success for Haggerty, who came into the night with only nine plate appearances since May 3. The 28-year-old's two-bagger was his first extra-base hit of the season, and he's still sitting on an abysmal .147/.237/.176 slash line across 38 plate appearances.

Garcia is batting leadoff Thursday against the Marlins.

Garcia had been hitting second over the last three weeks, but the Nationals will switch things up -- usual leadoff man Lane Thomas is in the No. 2 spot -- for Thursday's series finale versus the Marlins and young right-hander Eury Perez. Garcia is slashing .304/.360/.391 in his last 76 plate appearances dating back to April 30.

Gimenez went 0-for-2 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and a stolen base in Wednesday's 7-2 loss to the White Sox.

The steal was his seventh of the season, but Gimenez had attempted just one theft (and caught got stealing) over his previous 20 games. The second baseman saw his modest four-game hitting streak come to an end Wednesday. He's slashing .231/.308/.357 with three home runs, nine RBI, 22 runs scored, seven doubles and a triple through 160 plate appearances.

Estrada went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 7-4 victory over the Phillies.

Estrada broke an eighth-inning tie with a bases-loaded single. He came around to score in the inning as the Giants tacked on three runs. Estrada has cooled off after a monster April in which he slashed .340/.389/.530, but the middle infielder is still producing with a .732 OPS in May. Estrada has gone six games without attempting to steal a bag, his second-longest such stretch of the season.

Stott went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Giants.

Stott tied the game with a fifth-inning solo shot, as the Phillies erased a 4-0 deficit only to lose 7-4. It was the second baseman's first homer since April 23. After slashing .319/.347/.429 in April, Stott's slash line is .192/.259/.269 in May.

Polanco has been diagnosed with a mild left hamstring strain, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Polanco suffered the injury during Wednesday's game against the Dodgers. That the injury is being termed mild would seem to give him a shot to avoid the injured list, although hamstrings are notoriously tricky. Polanco went 1-for-3 with a single before exiting Wednesday.

Rengifo is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles.

Brandon Drury will step in at second base Wednesday, after Rengifo had occupied the position in each of the previous three games while going 1-for-11 with a run scored. Despite taking a seat Wednesday, Rengifo should have a path to steady playing time in the infield until the Angels return one of Jared Walsh (migraines) or Anthony Rendon (groin) from the 10-day injured list.

Altuve (thumb) will appear in a rehab game Wednesday for Double-A Christi before potentially being reinstated from the 10-day injured list prior to Houston's game Friday versus Oakland, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Altuve has struggled thus far in his rehab stint with a .056 average over 18 at-bats, but the reps are far more important than the results at this stage. Even if the 33-year-old needs an extra couple of days, he looks like he's on pace to rejoin the Houston lineup for his season debut at some point over the weekend. Mauricio Dubon has been serving as the primary replacement at second base for Altuve this season and would presumably move into a utility role once Altuve is activated.

Espinal is will start at second base and bat ninth Wednesday against the Yankees.

With Whit Merrifield covering left field Wednesday while Kevin Kiermaier (illness) gets the night off, the keystone is opened up for Espinal. The 28-year-old infielder has put up a woeful .477 OPS across 71 plate appearances this season.

Dubon is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Cubs.

Dubon has been hot with the bat as of late, but he'll put his eight-game hitting streak on hold while he rests in the series finale with the Cubs. David Hensley will step in for Dubon as the Astros' starting second baseman.