MLB Player News

Muncy took extra batting practice Saturday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Muncy has been mired in a season-long slump and is hitting only .178 after a 1-for-2 performance Saturday. He fractured a finger in summer camp, which could be partly responsible for his slow start to the campaign. Of Muncy's 18 hits this season, six have left the park.

LeMahieu (thumb) has resumed baseball activity and is showing significant improvement, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.

LeMahieu was placed on the 10-day injured list Aug. 16 and given an initial return timeline of two to three weeks. It sounds as though the veteran could be back at the early end of that timeframe given his rapid improvement. Thairo Estrada is likely to receive the majority of starts at second base in LeMahieu's stead.

Sosa (illness) is set to start getting at-bats at the Cardinals' alternate training site in Springfield, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The utility infielder is one of a multitude of Cardinals players working his way through the COVID-19 reentry process. Sosa was cleared for baseball activities Monday, and if he's able to demonstrate his timing at the plate is solid in Springfield, he could be deemed ready for activation in fairly short order.

Wisdom signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs on Sunday.

The 28-year-old was granted his release from the Mariners last week after being designated for assignment, and he'll now join the Cubs' 60-player pool. Wisdom had four hits in 28 at-bats for the Rangers last year and is unlikely to be a significant contributor in the majors for Chicago.

Vargas will start at second base and will bat seventh Sunday against the Royals.

Vargas will pick up his fourth start in five games, but three of those assignments came when Luis Arraez was sidelined with a knee injury. Arraez returned to the lineup Saturday and appears to just be getting a maintenance day in Sunday's series finale, so Vargas should return to a full-time bench role during the upcoming week. Vargas looks to have inched ahead of Ehire Adrianza as the Twins' top infield reserve after going 5-for-11 with a triple, double, two RBI and two runs over the last three contests.

Chapman went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a loss to the Angels on Saturday.

Chapman's fourth-inning solo blast was the third baseman's third over the last two games and eighth of August overall. The 25-year-old now has a five-game on-base streak, and he's managed to raise his both his batting average (.188 to .250) and slugging percentage (.375 to .598) significantly since Aug. 2.

Arenado is not in the lineup Sunday against the Dodgers, Jenny Cavnar of AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain reports.

Arenado started the past 12 games and will receive a breather with only four hits in his last 35 at-bats. Ryan McMahon will shift to third base Sunday while Brendan Rodgers receives the start at the keystone.

Kieboom will start at third base and will bat eighth Sunday against the Marlins.

Though Kieboom will pick up his eighth start in 10 games, he could soon be headed to more of a reserve role now that Howie Kendrick has moved past the hamstring injury that had sidelined him for just over a week. With a meager .602 OPS and no extra-base hits through 56 plate appearances, Kieboom hasn't made a compelling case for earning a full-time job at hot corner.

Riley went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Phillies.

The young third baseman got Atlanta on the board in the seventh inning with his fourth homer of the year, ending Zack Wheeler's shutout bid and getting the ball rolling on a comeback. Riley has a modest four-game hitting streak going, but his .189/.247/.365 slash line through 22 games remains poor. If there's a silver lining to his struggles this season, it's that his 29.6 percent strikeout rate and 7.4 percent walk rate are both improvements on his performance as a rookie.

Machado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in a 13-2 victory over Houston on Saturday.

Machado plated San Diego's second run with a solo shot to center field in the first inning, one of six Padres homers on the night. The veteran has notched exactly two hits in each of his last five games, going 10-for-19 (.526) over that stretch to bring his season slash line to .257/.362/.514.