MLB Player News

Urias isn't in the lineup Thursday against the Astros, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Urias is getting a day off after he went just 1-for-16 with two runs, four walks and five strikeouts over the last six games. Rougned Odor will start at the keystone and bat eighth.

Longoria is not in Thursday's lineup against the Rockies.

Longoria was only in the lineup for one of the four games at Coors Field this week. He seems to be on the short side of a platoon at third base, as he has not started against a righty since Sept. 13.

Toro isn't starting Thursday against Oakland.

Toro started the last five games and went 2-for-17 with a double and six runs. He'll get a breather Thursday while Ty France draws the start at the hot corner and bats cleanup.

Ramirez went 0-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the White Sox.

Ramirez was one of two Guardians that failed to record a hit in the contest, but he was still productive in his one successful plate appearance. He's slashing just .231/.371/.346 through 21 games in September, though he's logged four stolen bases, two home runs, nine RBI and 12 runs scored. For the season, he's notched 18 steals in 25 attempts while adding 28 homers, 115 RBI, 84 runs scored and a .277/.356/.519 slash line through 145 games.

Castro went 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored Wednesday against the Yankees.

Castro was the only Pirate to collect multiple hits Wednesday, and it was the third time he's done so in his last seven starts. Since being recalled on Aug. 9, Castro has hit .268 with 10 home runs, 16 runs scored and 20 RBI across 38 games. Though he's striking out at a 28.1 percent clip in that span, Castro is making the case for a role in Pittsburgh to begin the 2023 campaign.

Hayes went 1-for-2 with a walk and two RBI on Wednesday against the Yankees.

Hayes was one of the few bright spots for the Pirates, with the majority of his production coming on an RBI single in the sixth frame. It was the first time he drove in multiple runs in a game since Aug. 7, and since then he has hit just .229 with five RBI and 10 runs scored across 27 games. Hayes has maintained just a .243/.312/.348 across 525 plate appearances for the season.

Suarez (finger) was able to start taking light swings Wednesday with a softer ball and regular baseballs, the Associated Press reports. "Geno feels much better," manager Scott Servais said.

In addition to Wednesday's encouraging developments, Suarez also is slated to take batting practice during the upcoming weekend series against the Royals. If all continues without setbacks, it's possible Suarez will have the chance to get some at-bats in before the conclusion of the regular season ahead of the Mariners' likely postseason run.

Rafaela was named by Baseball America as Boston's Minor League Player of the Year, Alex Speier of Baseball America reports.

Rafaela looked overmatched early in 2021 while with Single-A Salem, but Salem hitting coach Nelson Paulino worked with the him to remove a pre-swing hitch that created too much movement. The results were immediate last season, but few anticipated the breakout season Rafaela has experienced in 2022. The 22-year-old hit .299/.342/.539 with 21 homers, 10 triples, 31 doubles, 28 stolen bases, 26 walks and 113 strikeouts in 116 games split between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland. The one-time shortstop has handled the transition to center field with aplomb, and the the 5-foot-8, 152-pounder should add more power as he matures.

Rivera started at third base and went 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Dodgers.

Rivera was surprisingly in the lineup against right-hander Dustin May, as Arizona manager Torey Lovullo benched primary third baseman and left-handed hitting Josh Rojas because of recent defensive inconsistency, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Rojas is working on technique with infield coach Tony Perezchica and may be held out of Thursday's series finale against left-hander Julio Urias, which means another start for the righty-hitting Rivera.

Paredes went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Wednesday against the Astros.

Paredes took Lance McCullers yard in the seventh inning to tally his 20th homer of the season. He's held a fairly regular role in the Rays' lineup since Brandon Lowe (back) has been sidelined, maintaining a .318 average with two homers, five RBI and four runs scored across his last nine starts spanning to Sept. 13. Though he's struggled to hit for a decent average, Paredes has a 127 wRC+ and .338 wOBA across 343 plate appearances on the campaign.