MLB Player News

Duffy (back) expects to be activated from the 10-day injured list Thursday, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Duffy began his rehab stint with Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday and has been seeing the ball well at the dish, hitting .308 in four contests, per Andracki. He'll serve in a utility role for the Cubs upon his return.

Moustakas (heel) was on the field taking grounders ahead of Monday's game against the Mets, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Moustakas has now missed over two months with a heel injury. Progress has been quite slow, as he began a rehab stint more than a month ago before being quickly shut down again. He's back to trending in the right direction, though the timeline for his next steps is still not clear.

Arenado will sit Monday against the Cubs, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The Cardinals haven't indicated that this is anything other than a routine day off for the star third baseman, who's gone 1-for-13 at the plate since the All-Star break. Matt Carpenter will handle third base in his absence.

The Pirates demoted Castro from Triple-A Indianapolis to Double-A Altoona on Sunday, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

After he was optioned off the Pirates' active roster Saturday, Castro stayed at Indianapolis for one day before moving on to Altoona, where he had spent all season prior to his July 6 call-up to the majors. The 22-year-old infielder has posted a .909 OPS over 216 plate appearances at Altoona on the campaign, so it may not be long before he settles at Indianapolis on a more permanent basis.

Senzel (knee) has made progress in the past week and could begin a rehab assignment next week, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports

Senzel has already missed over two months with a knee injury which wound up requiring surgery. He's previously been given a mid-July timeline and a late-July timeline, but both of those have proven overly optimistic. He appears to be on the right path, however, and beginning a rehab assignment next week should put him on track to return in early August.

Escobar went 1-for-3 with two walks, a two-run home run and two additional runs scored in Sunday's 6-4 win over the Cubs.

Escobar's two-run shot in the eighth inning gave Arizona a 6-2 lead and looked like extra padding, but it became necessary padding when the Cubs touched starter Merrill Kelly for two runs in the top of the ninth. It was the 21st home run for the All-Star infielder, who most certainly will be with a contender before the trade deadline.

Machado went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, two runs and two strikeouts in Sunday's 8-7 loss to the Nationals.

Machado has recorded hits in each of his first three games after the All-Star break, and he's posted multi-hit performances in each of the last two contests. The 29-year-old has gone 6-for-12 with a home run, a double, five RBI and five runs across the last three games.

Muncy could miss time during the Dodgers' upcoming seven-game week with his wife expected to give birth to the couple's child within the next few days, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Manager Dave Roberts wouldn't say for certain if Muncy will be placed on the paternity list, as Muncy's decision about whether to leave the team could hinge on when his wife goes into labor. Regardless, the Dodgers are preparing for Muncy's potential absence by including Triple-A Oklahoma City outfielder Zach Reks on their taxi squad in the event the team needs a replacement on the active roster. Muncy went 0-for-5 with a strikeout in Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Rockies, dropping his season-long slash line to .273/.412/.568.

McMahon went 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI, a run scored and a walk in Saturday's 9-2 loss to the Dodgers.

McMahon scored in the second inning on a sacrifice fly and doubled off Walker Buehler in the third inning, knocking in Brendan Rodgers. He is batting .314 in July with four RBI and six runs scored. The 26-year-old is slashing .253/.316/.471 with 16 homers, 48 RBI and 51 runs in 342 plate appearances.

Farmer is not in the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Brewers.

The 30-year-old has gone 3-for-8 with a pair of doubles and an RBI in two games after the All-Star break. Dating back to the start of July, Farmer has hit .303 with two home runs and four RBI. Mike Freeman will get the start at shortstop and bat eighth Sunday.