MLB Player News

Castro will start at second base and bat seventh Wednesday against the Brewers.

Rather than Wilmer Difo, the 22-year-old Castro has picked up the first two starts at second base for the Pirates since the team dealt All-Star Adam Frazier to the Padres. Though Castro has never played at the Triple-A level and has only 19 career MLB plate appearances to his name, the non-contending Pirates appear eager to give the infield prospect an extended trial in the big leagues. He profiles as more of a longer-term solution in the infield than Difo, a 29-year-old who was already outrighted off the 40-man roster once this season and looks like a utility option at this stage of his career.

The Cardinals announced that Arenado was removed in the fifth inning of Wednesday's game against Cleveland due to a bruised right forearm, Jim Hayes of Bally Sports Midwest reports. He went 1-for-1 with a walk before exiting the contest.

Preliminary evaluations of Arenado's forearm seemingly didn't reveal anything serious after he was struck by a pitch in the top of the fifth inning. The Cardinals were trailing by five runs at the time Arenado picked up the injury, so the team may just have been taking extra caution by pulling him from the game. Arenado will have Thursday's team off day to heal up before St. Louis hosts the Twins on Friday.

Arenado was removed in the bottom of the fifth inning of Wednesday's game against Cleveland with an apparent elbow injury, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports. He went 1-for-1 with a base hit and a walk before departing.

The injury in question occurred in the top of the fifth, when Arenado was in obvious pain after being struck in the elbow by a pitch. He was able to take his base and briefly stay in the game, but after getting checked out by trainers before the bottom of the inning, he was ultimately pulled from the contest. Expect the Cardinals to provide an update on Arenado's condition after the game.

Hernandez signed a minor-league contract with the Reds on Wednesday, Andersen Pickard of MLBDailyDish.com reports.

Hernandez was the 96th overall pick in the 2013 draft, and he most recently played in the minors at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2019. He began the 2021 campaign with the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association, but he's now been assigned to Triple-A Louisville. The 26-year-old hasn't yet made his major-league debut, and he's slashed .258/.328/.447 with 26 home runs, 97 RBI, 97 runs and nine stolen bases in 164 games across his last two seasons in the minors.

Anderson went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 7-3 win over the Orioles.

Anderson missed two months with a dislocated left shoulder but returned to action over the weekend, and he's quickly found his power stroke with long balls in Sunday's and Tuesday's contests. The 28-year-old had a .687 OPS in 35 games prior to the injury, but he's 5-for-12 with two homers, two walks and an additional run in three games since being activated from the injured list Saturday.

Hayes went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Tuesday's 9-0 loss to Milwaukee.

Since June 8, when he failed to touch first base on an apparent home run, Hayes is slashing .243/.321/.347 with two homers and two steals in 162 plate appearances. It's unknown whether the rookie is still feeling the effects of a wrist injury that forced him to the 60-day IL earlier in the season, but his numbers have fallen off. Batting second, he still has Bryan Reynolds hitting behind him, though losing Adam Frazier and replacing him with light-hitting Kevin Newman in the leadoff spot can't help his RBI opportunities.

Riles went 2-for-5 with two home runs and six RBI in Tuesday's 12-5 win over the Mets.

The third baseman launched a grand slam off Jerad Eickhoff in the fourth inning before adding a two-run blast off Yennsy Diaz in the sixth. Riley has been red hot since the All-Star break, slashing .372/.442/.791 over his last 12 games with five of his career-high 19 homers on the year.

Machado went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and a strikeout as San Diego defeated Oakland, 7-4 on Tuesday.

Machado took reliever Yusmeiro Petit deep to left for his 18th long ball to cap a five-run fifth and singled in his next at-bat in the seventh inning. This continues a scorching July that's seen the third baseman slash .356/.427/.693 with six home runs and eight doubles, both of which are Machado's most in any month, a fact more impressive given the All-Star break.

Suarez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Cubs.

It's been a slog of a season for Suarez, but the third baseman knows how to hit a mistake. He took Dan Winkler deep in the sixth for a solo shot that marked the Venezuelan's first home run since July 10. Suarez now has 19 homers against 123 strikeouts.

Wisdom hit a pinch-hit home run in his only at-bat during Tuesday's loss to the Reds.

Even without being in the starting lineup, Wisdom was able to impact Tuesday's game with a ninth-inning home run, though it wasn't enough to rally the Cubs. The 29-year-old has been a revelation for Chicago since being called up in May, smashing 15 home runs to go with a .924 OPS. By comparison, he came into the year with four career home runs and a .696 OPS across 43 MLB games. Wisdom should remain in the lineup for the Cubs most days based on his strong performance, and a potential Kris Bryant trade would give him an even clearer path to everyday at-bats.