MLB Player News

Candelario is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Candelario will get a routine day off after he had been in the lineup for each of the previous five contests. Spencer Steer and Santiago Espinal will occupy the corner-infield spots for the Reds on Wednesday.

Arenado (forearm) will start at third base and bat sixth in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus Atlanta.

Arenado had been set to return Tuesday from a left forearm injury before that game was rained out, but he'll remain in the lineup for the makeup game. The sixth spot in the batting order represents the lowest that Arenado has slotted in his four seasons with the Cardinals. He's slashing just .257/.315/.371 on the season and hasn't hit a home run since June 5.

The Reds announced Wednesday that Marte (suspension) has rejoined the team after completing his rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville.

Marte won't be eligible to return from his 80-game suspension until Thursday's series opener in St. Louis, but since he's back in Cincinnati rather than sticking around in Louisville, the Reds are presumably preparing to add him back to the 26-man active roster ahead of their four-game series this weekend. The 22-year-old struggled to regain his timing at the plate during the rehab assignment, slashing .151/.151/.170 with no walks and a 28.3-percent strikeout rate over 12 games. However, after Marte posted an .822 OPS in 123 plate appearances in his first taste of the big leagues in 2023, the Reds look as though they'll allow him to iron out the kinks in the majors. He's seen action at third base, second base and shortstop during his rehab assignment and may have to settle for more of a utility role with the Reds initially until he performs well enough to warrant everyday playing time.

Noel is slashing .402/.471/.705 with nine home runs and a 14.5-percent strikeout rate in his last 30 games for Triple-A Columbus.

With Kyle Manzardo failing to take a big-league job and run with it and Noel already being on the 40-man roster, Noel could get a shot as Cleveland's designated hitter sometime this summer. The righty-hitting slugger has huge raw power, and while he has seen 25 starts in the corner outfield spots this season, he's probably too big (6-foot-3, 250 pounds) to get regular starts in the outfield at the highest level.

Urshela is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

He'll take a seat for the day game after a night game, paving the way for Matt Vierling to pick up a start at third base. Urshela had been included in the Detroit lineup in each of the last nine games, going just 4-for-34 at the plate to bring his batting average down to .253 for the season.

Devers went 2-for-4 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 9-4 loss to the Blue Jays.

He took Kevin Gausman deep in the second inning and nearly did it again in the sixth, but his blast to the deepest part of the center field triangle at Fenway Park ended up being a double due to fan interference. Devers has erupted in June, slashing .300/.359/.625 over 21 games with four doubles, two triples, six homers, 16 RBI and 18 runs.

Smith started at third base and went 1-for-3 with an RBI in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Brewers. He was also hit by a pitch.

Smith gave the Rangers an early lead in the top of the first inning, but the offense was silenced for the last eight frames. The HBP was his second in as many games and third over the last five; he leads MLB in that category with 12. It was thought Smith's run at third base might come to end this week, but Josh Jung (wrist) experienced a setback and is not expected to return during the Rangers' road trip that ends Sunday in Baltimore.

Vientos went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Tuesday's 9-7 win over the Yankees.

The 24-year-old third baseman wasn't intimidated by the atmosphere in the Subway Series, or by the prospect of facing Gerrit Cole -- Vientos took the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner deep in the second and fourth innings to help the Mets build an early 6-0 lead. He's homered four times in the last five games, and through 19 games in June, Vientos has compiled a .275/.329/.565 slash line with six long balls, 12 RBI and 14 runs.

Alvarez went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI single and a run during Tuesday's 7-5 loss to the Angels.

Alvarez was excellent in his first career start, clubbing a double in his first at-bat before being driven in by JJ Bleday and then plating Shea Langeliers on an infield single in the eighth. The 29-year-old Alvarez had his contract selected Saturday, marking his first big-league stint since entering the minors in 2016. With Abraham Toro (hamstring) on the injured list, Alvarez should have some opportunities at third base, though he'll have to compete with Tyler Nevin for playing time at the hot corner.

Ortiz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Rangers.

Ortiz provided the go-ahead run in the fifth inning, starting the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo homer off Andrew Heaney. The long ball was Ortiz's second since May 17, with both coming in his last 11 games. During that 11-game stretch, Ortiz is 9-for-35 (.257) with seven runs.