MLB Player News

Hayes (hand) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the White Sox.

A bruised right hand forced Hayes to exit Sunday's contest and is keeping him out of the starting nine for Tuesday's series opener. It's unclear whether the infielder is available off the bench, although the Pirates figure to exercise extreme caution with the health of their young star. Wilmer Difo is playing third base and batting second Tuesday.

Manager Craig Counsell said Monday that he expects Escobar (hamstring) to return from the 10-day injured list at some point during the Brewers' upcoming three-game series with the Cardinals this weekend, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Barring any further setbacks in his recovery from a right hamstring injury, Escobar looks like he'll make his way back from the IL in the minimum time, or close to it. Since joining the Brewers ahead of the July 30 trade deadline, Escobar has settled in as Milwaukee's top third baseman against right-handed pitching and top first baseman against left-handed pitching. In 21 games with the Brewers, he's hitting .280 with two home runs, 11 runs and eight RBI.

Moustakas (hip) is batting fifth and playing third base Tuesday against the Cardinals.

The veteran exited Saturday's game with right hip tightness and didn't start the next two days, although he did appear as a pinch hitter Monday. Moustakas has hit .151 with two doubles, two home runs and four RBI in his last nine starts, striking out 30.6 percent of the time during that span.

LeMahieu went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Monday's 8-7 loss to the Twins.

LeMahieu doubled to lead off the game and quickly scored after Anthony Rizzo doubled right after him. The 32-year-old LeMahieu would later notch an RBI base hit in the fifth and eventually come around to score for his second time of the night. LeMahieu has finished in the top three of the league in batting average in each of the past two seasons and has hit the ball remarkably well since coming over to the Yankees in 2019. He hasn't been quite as effective this year, slashing .265/.347/.367 with 32 extra-base hits, 52 RBI, 67 runs scored, four steals and 60:82 BB:K over 565 plate appearances.

Kieboom went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Monday's 7-4 loss to the Phillies.

He took Zack Wheeler deep in the third inning, but the Nats were already in a 6-2 hole at that point. Kieboom has three of his five homers on the season in his last 11 games, but his .179/.319/.436 slash line and 5:14 BB:K over that stretch indicate he's got a long way to go before he'll be a reliable fantasy asset.

Houston manager Dusty Baker said Bregman's rest day Monday was part of a buildup plan for the infielder, who recently returned from a lengthy stay on the injured list due to a strained left quadriceps, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It was probably assumed Bregman's absence was benign after he started four consecutive games since coming off the injured list, but Baker confirmed that it was part of a designed plan. As such, Bregman could be on this plan for a stretch, so be prepared for more off-days coming. The Astros want to prepare Bregman for a a 17-game/17-day stretch coming up in September.

Peterson went 3-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored in Monday's 3-1 win over the Giants.

Peterson scored the second run of the game when Corbin Burnes drove him in in the second inning. In addition, he added a ground-rule double in the eighth frame. It was the third game this season Peterson reached base safely four times. The 31-year-old is slashing .278/.400/.428 with five homers, 28 RBI, 32 runs and eight steals in 220 plate appearances. He is receiving more playing time temporarily while Eduardo Escobar (hamstring) is on the 10-day injured list.

Muncy went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout in a 5-3 triumph over Atlanta on Monday.

Muncy opened the scoring with a 405-foot bomb to right off Atlanta starter Drew Smyly in the first and followed it up with a single in the fourth. The infielder had been mired in a 1-for-24 slump across his last seven games. This was his first homer since Aug. 18.

Farmer went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and a double in Monday's 3-1 loss to St. Louis.

Farmer drilled a solo shot off Jon Lester in the second inning and it proved to be the Reds' only run in the loss. He was 10-for-49 (.204) with two doubles since his last home run on Aug. 12. He's up to 12 homers, 48 RBI and a .716 OPS through 436 plate appearances on the year.

Donaldson went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double in Monday's 3-2 win over the Tigers.

Donaldson provided most of the offense Monday with his two-run blast off Casey Mize in the fourth inning. The veteran slugger is on fire over the last seven games, going 11-for-25 (.440) with four homers, three doubles and eight RBI. For the season, Donaldson is slashing .259/.360/.494 with 40 extra-base hits