MLB Player News

Torres went 4-for-9 with a walk and four runs scored across both games of Friday's doubleheader against the Guardians.

Torres batted leadoff in both games and recorded two hits in both contests as well. The veteran served as the DH in the matinee before sliding over to second base in the nightcap. Despite continuing to produce at the plate, Torres has seen his playing time reduced recently, with youngster Hao-Yu Lee (shin) seeing more time at the keystone for the 64-77 Tigers. That trend should continue with Detroit looking unlikely for a playoff spot.

McNeil went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Friday's 7-6 win over the Mariners.

McNeil's hot start to September continued with his fourth straight multi-hit game. He contributed his second homer of the month -- matching his total from all of August -- with a blast as part of the Athletics' rally in the third inning. McNeil is batting .271 with a .700 OPS, eight homers, 52 RBI, 45 runs scored, 20 doubles and eight stolen bases across 125 contests this year, and he's currently operating as the starting first baseman.

Lee was removed from the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Guardians with a left shin contusion, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

The news is positive on Lee, as it looked like it could have been a more serious knee injury given his immediate reaction. Lee was banged up on a play at the plate involving Cleveland catcher Austin Hedges, with Lee limping off the field after the incident.

Lee was removed from the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Guardians with an apparent knee injury, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Per McCosky, Lee was in real pain after banging knees with Cleveland catcher Austin Hedges on a play at the plate in the top of the third inning, and Lee then limped off the field. He was replaced at DH before his next at-bat, having gone 1-for-6 across the twin bill.

Castro is not in Friday's lineup against the Cardinals due to plantar fasciitis, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.

It's not clear when the injury flared up for Castro. He's being evaluated by medical staff, and the Rockies should have an update on the 29-year-old utility man over the coming days. He is slashing .260/.331/.417 with 10 steals, 15 home runs and 56 RBI over 477 plate appearances this season.

Bazzana is absent from Cleveland's lineup for the second game of Friday's doubleheader against Detroit.

With the Tigers sending Andrew Sears to the mound for the nightcap, the left-handed hitter will ride the pine. Bazzana went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored during the matinee. Angel Genao will man second base and bat seventh for the Guardians.

Stott was scratched from Friday's lineup against Atlanta for personal reasons.

With Stott attending to a personal matter, Edmundo Sosa will shift to third base while Bryan De La Cruz starts in left field and bats seventh. It's unclear whether Stott will be back in action for Saturday's contest. He has gone 9-for-51 (.176) with one steal, one home run, four RBI and eight runs scored over his last 15 outings.

Turang will start at second base and bat sixth in Friday's game versus the Reds.

It's the first time all season that Turang has hit lower than third in the Brewers' lineup. The 26-year-old is slashing just .174/.262/.239 with one home run and a 29.8 percent strikeout rate since the beginning of August. Turang missed four games in mid-August with left knee discomfort, and Brewers manager Pat Murphy admitted Friday that the knee issue still affects the second baseman, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. However, there do not appear to be any plans for Turang to miss additional games as Milwaukee tries to maintain its spot as the top seed for the NL playoffs.

Castro is out of the lineup for Friday's contest versus the Cardinals.

It marks the third consecutive absence from the lineup for Castro, who had started 11 straight and 22 of 23 games prior to this three-game playing-time drought. Castro has an .828 second-half OPS, so this could simply be about the Rockies giving younger players a look. Adael Amador will play second base and Connor Norby will be at third base Friday.

The Reds optioned Johnson to Triple-A Louisville on Friday.

The 27-year-old was called up by Cincinnati in late August and will return to Louisville after going 0-for-4 with a strikeout and a walk in four contests. Johnson has gone 1-for-16 in his first taste of the big leagues this year but has an .802 OPS in 71 games for Louisville.