MLB Player News

Castro was recalled to the 26-man roster from Double-A Altoona on Tuesday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Castro was briefly called up to the majors in mid-April and went hitless in three at-bats before being sent to the club's alternate training site. He was assigned to Double-A when the minor-league season began and remained with Altoona up until Tuesday. Castro will skip Triple-A once again as he rejoins the Pirates, and he should provide infield depth following Phillip Evans' move to the 7-day concussion IL.

Farmer (soreness) is starting Tuesday's game against the Royals.

Farmer was held out of Monday's lineup with what manager David Bell called some "bumps and bruises," but he'll start at shortstop and bat eighth Tuesday. The 30-year-old has gone 0-for-8 with two runs and three strikeouts across his last three appearances.

Hayes went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Monday's 11-1 rout of Atlanta.

The third baseman took Josh Tomlin deep in the eighth inning for the Pirates' final offense of the night. Hayes hadn't gone yard since June 11, slashing .206/.295/.250 over his 20-game power drought, and the 24-year-old is batting .252 with four homers, two steals, 17 runs and 17 RBI through 31 contests on the season.

Suarez went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Monday's 6-2 win over Kansas City.

Suarez went deep in the seventh inning to give Cincinnati all it needed in the win. He also hit into a double play in the second inning that allowed Tyler Stephenson to score the opening run. Suarez has hit safely in four straight games in July, but he still has a meager .178/.260/.377 slash line in 334 plate appearances this season. He's added 17 homers, 48 RBI and 39 runs scored as a near-everyday player despite his career-worst ratios.

Manager David Bell said Farmer is out of the lineup Monday against the Royals to manage some "bumps and bruises," Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The 30-year-old appears to be dealing with some wear-and-tear at the mid-point of the season, and Bell hopes the infielder will be back in the lineup Tuesday. Farmer has struggled offensively since the start of June, slashing .213/.290/.309 with two homers, nine RBI and 13 runs in 31 games.

Muncy isn't starting Monday's game against the Marlins, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Muncy will get a routine day off after he went 4-for-15 with a home run, two doubles, nine RBI, two runs and three walks across the last four games. Albert Pujols will start at first base and bat fourth.

Farmer is not starting Monday's series opener in Kansas City, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Farmer went 0-for-2 on Sunday, but was hit by a pitch twice and came around to score on both occasions. The 30-year-old is hitting just .172 with two RBI in his last 11 games. Eugenio Suarez will shift to shortstop and bat sixth Monday, with Alejo Lopez starting at third base.

Newman went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 2-0 win over the Brewers.

The homer, his third of the season, gives him a .208 batting average and four extra-base hits in 106 plate appearances since the end of May. Aside from the infielder's .308 batting average in 2019, he's hit just .213 in his other three seasons. While Newman has struggled immensely, he figures to retain steady playing time, especially if the team trades starting second baseman Adam Frazier.

Machado went 2-for-2 with two home runs, five RBI, three runs and three walks in Sunday's 11-1 win over the Phillies.

Machado homered in each of his first two at-bats Sunday to give the Padres an early 5-0 lead, and he reached base safely in each of his five plate appearances. The multi-hit performance was his first since June 25, and the 28-year-old has now recorded hits in each of his last four games. During his hit streak, he's gone 5-for-11 with three home runs, seven RBI, seven runs and a stolen base.

Muncy went 2-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI and a strikeout in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Nationals.

Muncy was unable to reach base in any of his first three plate appearances Sunday, but he got hot late with doubles in the seventh and ninth innings. The 30-year-old has driven in multiple runs in three of the last four games, and he's gone 4-for-15 with a home run, nine RBI, two runs and three walks during that time.