MLB Player News

Arenado (finger) will start at designated hitter and bat fifth in Monday's game against the Pirates.

After jamming his right index finger early in Sunday's 7-0 win over the Guardians, Arenado initially stayed in the game before he was lifted for a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. The Cardinals described Arenado's early exit as precautionary, and his inclusion in the lineup a day later seemingly supports that notion. While the veteran third baseman is on pace for a second straight season with a sub-.400 slugging percentage, he's at least gotten his batting average back on track in June, hitting .283 through his first 26 games of the month.

Chapman (hand) is hoping to be activated from the 10-day injured list for the July 11-to-13 series against the Dodgers, MLB.com reports.

Chapman has progressed to hitting off a tee and throwing as he recovers from a right hand sprain. He's already missed three weeks of action, and while his rehab is coming along, Chapman has a few more items on his checklist before he can be activated. With Casey Schmitt (wrist) also banged up, the Giants have been using Christian Koss at third base of late.

Hayes went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and three runs scored in Sunday's win over the Mets.

Hayes got things going early with a two-run single and a run scored in the first inning. He later doubled and scored in the fifth and seventh frames. He's on an eight-game hitting streak and collected multiple hits in each contest during the Pirates' three-game sweep of the Mets. Hayes has gone 13-for-29 (.448) during his hitting streak, raising his season slash line to .246/.297/.305 through 307 plate appearances.

DeJong (orbital) will return to Washington and could be activated off the 10-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's series opener against the Tigers, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

DeJong landed on the IL in mid-April after he fractured his nose and orbital bone when he was hit in the face by a pitch from the Pirates' Mitch Keller. After undergoing surgery to address the injury, DeJong was cleared for a rehab assignment in mid-June, and in 12 games with Double-A Harrisburg, he has slashed .275/.348/.375 with one steal and one home run. The 31-year-old had been serving as the Nationals' primary third baseman prior to getting hurt, but he may have to settle for a utility role upon his return if Washington remains committed to letting rookie Brady House play regularly.

Arenado said after Sunday's 7-0 win over the Guardians that his removal from the contest was due to a jammed right index finger, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Arenado went 2-for-3 with a double before he was lifted for a pinch hitter as a precautionary measure in the top of the eighth inning. The Cardinals were up 5-0 at the time of Arenado's departure, which adds credence to the idea that the third baseman's removal was precautionary. Even so, fantasy managers will want to keep close tabs on Arenado's status heading into Monday's series opener in Pittsburgh.

Berti will start at third base and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Astros.

Berti will enter the lineup for just the second time since rookie Matt Shaw was recalled from Triple-A Iowa in mid-May. Shaw has posted a .655 OPS since his call-up, which has been good enough to keep Berti on the bench.

Shaw is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

Jon Berti will receive the nod at third base while Shaw sits after seven straight starts. During that stretch, the rookie went 6-for-25 with four RBI, three runs and three steals. He's swiped 10 bags in 11 attempts on the season, but his fantasy contributions have been fairly muted beyond that, as he's hitting just .222 with two home runs, 25 runs and 13 RBI over 200 plate appearances.

Schmitt (wrist) was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's game against the White Sox, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 26-year-old was also scratched from the lineup Saturday as he continues to manage a wrist injury. According to Rubin, manager Bob Melvin said Schmitt is likely to undergo an MRI once the Giants travel to Arizona on Monday, and it remains unclear if a trip to the injured list will be necessary.

Hayes went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 9-2 win over the Mets.

Hayes gave the Pirates a one-run lead in the second inning on an RBI single, and he extended the lead to two runs in the eighth when his single brought Nick Gonzales home. It was Hayes' 16th multi-hit game of the season, and the 28-year-old third baseman has recorded at least one hit in each of his last seven games, going 10-for-24 (.417) with five runs scored and six RBI over that span.

Schmitt (wrist) has been scratched from the lineup for Saturday's matchup against the White Sox, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Schmitt was originally penciled into the starting nine as the third baseman after missing the Giants' previous two contests, but he's since been removed from the lineup. Christian Koss is now starting at the hot corner, while Brett Wisely is getting a third straight start at second base.