MLB Player News

Muncy will start at third base and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Angels.

He'll remain in the starting nine for an eighth straight game after going 5-for-23 (.217 average) with a home run, three walks, a stolen base, four RBI and two runs over the prior seven contests. Muncy looks like he'll have a fairly clear path to an everyday role at the hot corner while Zack Gelof (hand) is on the injured list.

Loftin is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox due to a groin contusion, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

During Saturday's 2-1 loss, Loftin went 0-for-3 with a strikeout before being lifted in the bottom of the ninth inning after being struck by a throw to third base from Daniel Lynch. Loftin indicated he's feeling much better Sunday and will be available off the bench, so the 27-year-old would appear to have a good chance at returning to the starting nine Tuesday versus the Rays.

Alexander is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

The 27-year-old had started each of the last three games, but he could shift back into a utility role after Baltimore reinstated two key lineup cogs in Adley Rutschman (concussion) and Dylan Beavers (oblique) from the injured list Sunday. Alexander's last five starts had come at third base, but Coby Mayo could end up seeing the bulk of the time at the hot corner since he'll have fewer opportunities to serve as the designated hitter with Rutschman and Beavers back in the fold.

Keys went 1-for-4 with a run scored in Saturday's 7-4 loss to the Rangers.

Making his big-league debut at first base while Vladimir Guerrero got a partial breather as the DH and George Springer prepared for a potential stint on the paternity list, Keys collected his first career hit in the sixth inning and came around to score as the Blue Jays tried to claw their way back from an early 6-0 deficit. It's not clear how long Keys will remain on the 26-man roster, but the 23-year-old corner infielder could see consistent playing time while he's in the majors after producing a 1.122 OPS and seven homers in his first 18 games for Triple-A Buffalo.

The Blue Jays selected Keys' contract from Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday.

After slashing .285/.415/.621 with 21 homers, 54 RBI and 56 runs scored in 67 games between Double-A and Triple-A, Keys will join the big club to provide Toronto's offense with an extra jolt of power. He's set to start at first base and bat sixth during his MLB debut Saturday, but with Vladimir Guerrero, Kazuma Okamoto and George Springer (paternity) already established at first base, third base and DH, respectively, it may be difficult for Keys to crack the starting nine consistently. Davis Schneider was optioned to Buffalo in a corresponding move.

Okamoto went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's loss to the Rangers.

Once again, the third baseman provided some late power that his teammates couldn't capitalize on, as Okamoto deposited a Jakob Junis sweeper into the seats in left-center field in the eighth inning to bring the Blue Jays within a run in a 5-4 loss. Over the last 13 games, Okamoto's produced a .326/.415/.783 slash line with six of his 19 homers on the season and 15 of his 53 RBI.

Keith went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 8-0 win over the Astros.

Keith hit his fifth home run of the season in the fourth inning against Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti. All five of the infielder's long balls have come in the last 13 games, and he has a .947 OPS during that span. For the season, Keith has a .675 OPS, but that figure should continue to climb if he can maintain his recent power production.

Vargas went 3-for-6 with a home run, a double, five RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 22-1 win over the Royals.

Vargas fell a triple shy of the cycle, driving in four runs in two third-inning at-bats before adding another RBI in the seventh. The 26-year-old has hit safely in four straight games, going 7-for-18 with three extra-base hits and six RBI during that stretch. For the year, he's slashing .246/.357/.484 with 18 homers, 50 RBI, 54 runs scored and 10 steals across 343 plate appearances.

Caminero went 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk and three RBI in Friday's 6-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

One night after launching three homers, Caminero gave the Rays a lead they wouldn't relinquish with a three-run shot in the first inning. The 22-year-old has now gone deep five times over his past four games, going 7-for-15 with 12 RBI during that stretch. On the season, he's slashing .285/.379/.527 with 20 home runs, 46 RBI and 50 runs scored across 346 plate appearances.

The Blue Jays are expected to promote Keys from Triple-A Buffalo ahead of Saturday's game against the Rangers, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Keys is with the Blue Jays for the start of the weekend series against Texas, but the move won't be made official until Saturday. Between Double-A and Triple-A this season, Keys has slashed .284/.409/.619 with 21 homers, 54 RBI, 55 runs scored, seven stolen bases and a 39:66 BB:K across 286 plate appearances. A corner infielder by trade, Keys doesn't have a clear path at those positions with Kazuma Okamoto and Vladimir Guerrero manning third base and first base, respectively. George Springer has also seen all of his at-bats at designated hitter this season. However, Toronto seems to want to inject Keys' power into the lineup.