MLB Player News

Chapman is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Rays.

It's been a rough recent stretch for Chapman, who is 1-for-23 with 11 strikeouts over his last eight games. The one silver lining is that he has a 25 percent walk rate over that stretch. Vimael Machin will start at third base and hit eighth.

Chapman went 0-for-2 with two walks and a run in a win over the Rays on Monday.

The slugging third baseman played some small ball effectively in the victory and came home on Sean Murphy's fourth-inning home run. While the pair of walks at least does something for Chapman's on-base percentage, he's still mired in an eight-game slump during which he's hit .043 (1-for-23) with an RBI, eight bases on balls and two runs. While Chapman has three home runs on the season, the most recent came April 16, nine games ago.

Rendon went 0-for-4 with a walk and a pair of strikeouts in a win over the Rangers on Monday.

The veteran first baseman was clearly rusty after missing over two weeks with a groin injury, rendering him unable to join the Angels' 16-hit attack against Texas. He struck out twice for the first time this season but did draw his sixth walk of the campaign. Rendon stayed in the game for the entire contest, so it appears that he emerged without any setbacks and should be good to go moving forward.

The Pirates optioned Castro to their alternate training site Tuesday.

The 21-year-old infielder appeared in one game during his first cup of coffee in the majors, going 0-for-3 in an April 21 loss to the Tigers. He'll likely report to Triple-A Indianapolis or Double-A Altoona when the minor-league season begins next week, and he'll likely remain on the farm for much of the 2021 campaign unless the Pirates' infield depth is tested.

Longoria went 2-for-2 with a double, three RBI and a run scored in Monday's 12-0 blowout victory over the Rockies.

Longoria made his return to the lineup after missing the prior three games with a tight left hamstring, and he picked up right where he left off. The 35-year-old singled home a run before later scoring himself during a four-run first inning, then came back the following frame to plate two more on a double to deep left field. He was then replaced on base by Jason Vosler as a precautionary measure to get him some added rest. Longoria has been excellent so far with a slash line of .316/.409/.614 over 57 at-bats. He's on pace for the best statistical season of his career while ranking among the MLB leaders in barrel rate, exit velocity and a number of other Statcast categories. Of course, it's questionable whether he'll be able to keep it up, as Longoria has finished with an OPS around .700 in each of the last four seasons.

Ramirez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 5-3 victory over the Twins.

Ramirez came through with a clutch homer in the bottom of the eighth inning, tying the ballgame at 3-3. Cleveland would later win in 10 innings. The third baseman has pieced together a modest five-game hitting streak and is 6-for-17 with a pair of RBI, three extra-base hits and two walks over that stretch.

Toro was optioned to the Astros' alternate training site on Monday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Toro is no longer needed on the big-league roster with Jose Altuve returning from the COVID-19 injured list. He went 1-for-12 with a walk in his limited opportunities.

Anderson (oblique) resumed light baseball activities Monday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Anderson will be eligible to return from the injured list Saturday. The Marlins have yet to confirm that he's expected to do so, but he's progressing well and isn't expected to miss too much time.

Longoria (hamstring) will bat cleanup and play third base Monday against the Rockies, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Longoria left Thursday's game against the Marlins with a tight left hamstring and didn't play a role in any of the next three contests. He's back in action Monday and will look to build on his strong .291/.391/.582 slash line.

Rendon (groin) was activated from the 10-day injured list and is starting Monday's game against the Rangers.

Rendon had been on the 10-day injured list since April 12 due to a left groin strain, but he'll play third base and bat fourth in Monday's series opener against Texas. Luis Rengifo was sent down by the Angels in a corresponding move.