MLB Player News

Anderson (back) will hit live batting practice Saturday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

He had only been hitting off a tee and throwing medicine balls, so this is a step in the right direction. Anderson is recovering from a mild disc bulge in his lumbar spine, and it's unclear how capable he is of getting in defensive work yet.

Kennedy's contract was selected from Triple-A Reno on Friday. He is starting at designated hitter and batting sixth against the Twins.

A bat-first prospect, Kennedy slashed .340/.427/.472 with two home runs, three triples and seven doubles while striking out at a 19.3 percent clip and walking 14 percent of the time over his last 39 games at Triple-A. Jake McCarthy was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. As a right-handed hitter, it's possible Kennedy will be limited to mostly short-side platoon work, and he is starting against a southpaw (Devin Smeltzer) in his big-league debut.

McMahon isn't starting Friday against the Padres.

McMahon has gone 2-for-19 with a double, three RBI, a run, a walk and seven strikeouts over the last five games and will get a breather Friday. Alan Trejo is starting at the hot corner and batting ninth.

Escobar (vision) is available off the bench Friday against the Marlins and is expected to be in the lineup for Saturday's contest, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Escobar wasn't available for Thursday's contest while at the hospital having his vision checked, but he's apparently not batting any major issues as he's back with the team and available Friday. Luis Guillorme is starting at third base in his absence for New York.

Escobar (undisclosed) is not in the lineup Friday against the Marlins, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The veteran infielder will be out of the lineup for a second consecutive game due to what manager Buck Showalter previously described as a medical "non-workplace event." It's unclear if Escobar will be available off the bench or if he's expected to be back for Saturday's contest.

Manager Buck Showalter revealed after Thursday's win over the Brewers that Escobar was unavailable due to a "non-workplace event," Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

While Showalter said that the reason for the third baseman's lack of availability was medical in nature, he couldn't elaborate much on the specifics of Escobar's absence, so it's not yet clear whether he'll be available for Friday's series opener against the Marlins. If the 33-year-old is forced to miss additional games, Jeff McNeil, Luis Guillorme and J.D. Davis would be candidates to start at third base.

Escobar isn't starting Thursday against the Brewers.

Escobar went 0-for-11 with an RBI, a walk and six strikeouts over the last three games and will get a day off during Thursday's series finale against Milwaukee. Luis Guillorme is shifting to third base while J.D. Davis serves as the designated hitter.

Hayes went 1-for-3 with a triple, a walk and a run scored Wednesday against the Cardinals.

Hayes earned a free pass in the opening inning and came around to score on a Cal Mitchell single. He hit a two-out triple four frames later -- his first of the season -- but was stranded. Hayes is hitting just .130 with a 41.7 percent strikeout rate across his last six games, though he still has two RBI and two runs scored in that span. For the season, Hayes has maintained a 111 wRC+ and also chipped in seven stolen bases with two homers.

Riley went 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Nationals.

The third baseman helped Atlanta pull away in the contest with two-run blasts in the seventh and eighth innings. Riley's 18 homers on the season have him tied with Pete Alonso for the National League lead, and six of those rockets have come in June -- a month in which he's slashing .271/.338/.644 with 13 runs and 14 RBI in 14 games.

Machado went 2-for-3 with a home run, two walks, three runs and four RBI in a 19-5 victory against the Cubs on Wednesday.

Machado torched Chicago on Wednesday with singles in the first and seventh, walks in the third and fourth and a two-run homer in the fifth. The five times on base was the third such time this season for the 29-year-old, who broke out of a mini-3-for-21 slump with the excellent performance. Machado has seen his numbers dip in June, though his .322/.396/.536 line would still set new career highs nearly across the board.