MLB Player News

Baty could shift to left field on occasion as the Mets try to find ways to get Mark Vientos into the lineup, Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic report.

Vientos' hot bat at Triple-A prompted a promotion, but after homering in his big-league debut Wednesday, the 23-year-old was on the bench Thursday. He's blocked defensively at the infield corners and Pete Alonso isn't budging off first base, which leaves Vientos batting for at-bats at DH unless Baty can be moved elsewhere. Baty has seen sporadic action in left over the last few years in the minors, and given that he's a better athlete than Vientos, he appears more capable of handling the shift. There's also the question of whether the 23-year-old Baty has even earned an everyday spot yet -- through 26 games in the majors this season, Baty is slashing just .241/.323/.386 with three homers.

Candelario went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and two total RBI in Thursday's loss to Miami.

Candelario produced two of Washington's three runs in the contest, swatting a 443-foot solo homer to center field in the fourth inning and doubling home a run in the eighth. The third baseman has been on a tear at the plate of late, notching four straight multi-hit performances. Over that stretch, he's slashing .667/.688/1.200 with five extra-base hits, three RBI and four runs.

Muncy went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Thursday's loss against the Cardinals.

Muncy pulled the Dodgers within one run with his solo shot in the seventh. It was his 15th of the season, as he trails Pete Alonso by one for the MLB lead in homers. Muncy took a step back in 2022 with his worst OPS in a Dodger uniform at .713, but he's bounced back with a phenomenal .943 OPS to start 2023.

Arenado went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI scored in Thursday's 16-8 victory over the Dodgers.

Arenado extended his hitting streak to nine games with a fourth-inning homer to push the Cardinals' lead to 9-2. The third baseman has raised his average from .232 to .263 during this stretch. Arenado has nine homers though 43 games, with six coming during the hit streak, putting him on pace for another 30-homer season. However, he has only four doubles after posting 42 in 2022.

Kieboom (lat) returned to the Triple-A Syracuse lineup Tuesday and has gone 1-for-7 with a double, three walks and a run while playing in both of the team's last two games.

Kieboom missed just under a week after experiencing soreness in his right lat following a May 10 contest. The 25-year-old had previously missed the first month of the season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and then tending to a shoulder impingement, but he appears fortunate to have avoided any sort of major setback.

Castro went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 8-0 victory over the Tigers.

Castro swatted his fifth home run of the season in the fourth inning off Eduardo Rodriguez before adding a second RBI on a base hit in the seventh. Castro, making his first start since May 8, snapped a 1-for-13 stretch with his two-hit effort Wednesday. He's now slashing .260/.366/.452 with 13 runs scored and 16 RBI through 123 plate appearances this season.

Further imaging revealed a fracture in Machado's left hand Wednesday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Machado's initial X-rays came back negative Monday, but now it seems the injury is more severe than previously thought. Padres manager Bob Melvin expressed optimism that Machado might be able to avoid a stint on the injured list, but no decision has been made yet. More information will likely come Friday, at which point a clearer timetable for Machado's return should emerge.

Madrigal is not in the starting lineup Wednesday at Houston.

Miles Mastrobuoni will make a second straight start at second base as the Cubs shuffle different names into the mix with Nico Hoerner (hamstring) on the IL. Christopher Morel is playing center field and batting leadoff while Cody Bellinger nurses a bruised knee. Patrick Wisdom is at third base.

Escobar is starting at second base and batting second Wednesday versus the Rays.

Escobar is making just his second start of the season at the keystone after he didn't make any starts at the position all of last season. He's also batting higher than seventh for the first time this season.

Baty is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Rays.

Mark Vientos -- who was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse earlier Wednesday -- will play third base against lefty Josh Fleming. With Vientos and Eduardo Escobar around as options at the hot corner, Baty might be benched regularly versus southpaws for the time being.