MLB Player News

Castro went 1-for-2 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 6-2 victory over the Dodgers.

Castro tied the game 2-2 with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning before extending Pittsburgh's lead to 6-2 with a solo homer in the sixth. Castro had a big series against the Dodgers, going 4-for-10 with a double, a home run and four RBI. The 23-year-old Castro has gotten off to a solid start this year, slashing .279/.383/.471 with three home runs, 12 RBI and 10 runs scored in 81 plate appearances. He'll continue to serve as the Pirates' regular shortstop while Oneil Cruz (ankle) is sidelined.

Vargas (shoulder) joined Triple-A Rochester on Thursday to begin a rehab assignment, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Vargas has been on the injured list for over two weeks due to a strained left shoulder. It's unclear how many games Vargas will play in the minors, but the goal is to get him plenty of at-bats and starts at shortstop. Once he's feeling better, he'll likely return to his role as a utility piece for Washington.

Baty is starting at third base Thursday against the Nationals.

Eduardo Escobar drew the nod at third base Wednesday with left-hander MacKenzie Gore on the mound for Washington, but Baty is back in there Thursday versus the Nats and righty Trevor Williams. He'll bat eighth.

Vosler cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville on Thursday.

Vosler had been designated for assignment by Cincinnati on Monday after posting a rough .161/.200/.371 batting line across 65 plate appearances to begin the 2023 season. The 29-year-old will remain part of the Reds organization for the time being.

Wisdom is not in the lineup Thursday against the Padres.

This appears to be a normal day of rest for Wisdom, who's sitting on a .954 OPS with nine home runs and 18 RBI through 22 games this season. Nick Madrigal will cover third base and bat eighth for the Cubs in Thursday's matinee.

Machado is batting fifth Thursday against the Cubs, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

This is the lowest Machado has been in the Padres' order since he joined the club in 2019. He connected for a double in Wednesday's win at Wrigley Field but is slashing just .214/.250/.286 across 104 total plate appearances.

Hayes is not in the lineup Thursday afternoon against the Dodgers, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

It's a routine day off for Hayes as the Pirates wrap up this three-game series versus Los Angeles. Drew Maggi will play third base and bat eighth. Tucupita Marcano is hitting leadoff.

Maggi will start at third base and bat eighth for the Pirates on Thursday afternoon against the Dodgers, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

It's Maggi's first-ever appearance in a major-league starting lineup, and it comes at age 33. The career minor-leaguer was called up when the Pirates placed Bryan Reynolds on the bereavement list last weekend, and he's stuck around through Reynolds' return to the team Wednesday.

Castro went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored Wednesday against the Dodgers.

Castro entered Wednesday's game having gone just 3-for-22 across his prior seven games. However, he doubled and scored in the sixth inning and followed up with a two-RBI single in the seventh. Castro has a clear path to playing time for the foreseeable future with Oneil Cruz (ankle) out, and he's maintained a .273/.377/.424 line with two home runs, 10 RBI and nine runs scored across 77 plate appearances this year.

Rivera started at third base and went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 2-0 win over the Royals.

With lefty Ryan Yarbrough hurling for Kansas City, Josh Rojas was on the bench and Rivera started at third. Evan Longoria, who typically plays third against southpaws, served as the designated hitter. Rivera came home on a Longoria single in the fourth inning then an inning later, he delivered Alek Thomas home with a two-out base hit. Rivera is not expected to see many opportunities, but he could cement a role if he produces with the bat. In his first appearance after a callup from Triple-A Reno earlier this week, Rivera produced an RBI single as a pinch hitter.