MLB Player News

Hayes will sit for the third straight game Saturday against the Cubs.

Hayes doesn't seem to be dealing with an injury, but it's unusual to see him stuck on the bench. He hasn't been completely shut down, as he appeared off the bench in Thursday's series opener. Perhaps the Pirates simply wanted to avoid overtaxing the 25-year-old at the end of an uncompetitive season. Rodolfo Castro will get the start at third base.

Groshans isn't starting Saturday against the Nationals, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Groshans started the last four games and went 3-for-14 with a run, an RBI, a walk and a strikeout. Jon Berti will take over at the hot corner and lead off Saturday.

Walls (groin) isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Blue Jays, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Walls was scratched from Friday's lineup due to right groin tightness, but he appeared off the bench and scored a run. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available off the bench Saturday.

Longoria went 3-for-5 with an RBI in Friday's 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

Longoria continues to remain in a short-side platoon role. His multi-hit effort Friday was his second in September, and he's hit just .185 with three doubles and six RBI this month. For the season, the slump has him down to a .241/.314/.435 slash line with 12 home runs, 34 RBI, 29 runs scored and 13 doubles through 283 plate appearances.

Toro went 2-for-4 with a double in a loss to the Royals on Friday.

Toro had been mired in an 0-for-11 slump over his previous four games and hadn't generated a multi-hit effort since Aug. 31. The 25-year-old's .181/.234/.319 slash line is a profound disappointment, but some of Toro's complementary metrics belie those numbers to an extent -- he's been saddled with a dismal .192 BABIP, produced a modest 17.6 percent strikeout rate and laced 23 of his 55 hits for extra bases.

Newman went 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base Friday against the Cubs.

Newman started at shortstop and hit fifth, with Oneil Cruz serving as the Pirates' designated hitter. Newman is riding a seven-game hitting streak, during which he's gone 8-for-27 with a home run, three RBI, two runs scored and three stolen bases. For the season, he owns a .274/.312/.376 line across 281 plate appearances.

Jung went 0-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 6-3 loss to Cleveland.

Jung stole a base after a sixth-inning walk and came home on a Josh Smith two-out single. It was his second steal in 14 games, the last one coming in his debut Sept. 9. Jung doesn't have a history of running in the minors, but the Rangers, who lead MLB with 124 swipes, encourage aggressiveness on the bases.

Wisdom went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, a walk and two runs scored in Friday's 6-5 win over the Pirates.

Widom knocked his 24th home run of the year in the second inning against Bryse Wilson. The 31-year-old has two homers in his last three games after hitting just two in his previous 22 appearances. He improved his season slash line to .211/.304/.434 with 49 extra-base hits and 64 RBI through 125 games.

Escobar went 1-for-5 with a grand slam and an additional run in a 9-2 win against the Athletics on Friday.

Escobar connected on a two-out grand slam in the fifth inning off Oakland starter Cole Irvin and later tacked on New York's final run in the seventh. The long ball is the seventh of September for the 33-year-old who continues to rake with a .329/.388/.671 slash line, 15 runs and 17 RBI in 21 games this month.

Peterson isn't in the lineup Friday against the Reds.

Peterson has gone 0-for-11 with a run, a walk and three strikeouts over the last four games and will get a breather Friday. Luis Urias is starting at the hot corner and batting seventh.