MLB Player News

Westburg went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays.

Westburg made manager Brandon Hyde look smart -- this was Westburg's first big-league game at leadoff, and he hit a homer in his first at-bat. The infielder is 11-for-32 (.344) over his last eight games, adding six extra-base hits and seven RBI in that span. For the season, he's slashing .301/.354/.534 with seven homers, 28 RBI, 22 runs scored and five stolen bases through 159 plate appearances. Westburg may get more looks at leadoff versus southpaws, but he should be expected to bat lower in the lineup versus right-handers, as he has yet to above sixth in the order against same-handed pitchers this season.

Madrigal went 3-for-4 in Wednesday's 7-1 win over Atlanta.

All three hits were singles as Madrigal earned his fourth multi-hit effort in 39 contests this season. The infielder is slashing .234/.300/.281 with no home runs, nine RBI, four runs scored and one stolen base over 69 plate appearances. Madrigal had been limited to a bench role for much of the season, but he's receiving more playing time while Dansby Swanson (knee) is on the injured list and Nico Hoerner (hamstring) is out of the lineup.

Jung (wrist) played catch on the field prior to Wednesday's game against the Guardians, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Playing catch amounts to Jung's first known baseball activity since he underwent surgery April 2 to address a fractured right wrist. While being able to throw with his surgically repaired wrist is a step in the right direction, hitting high-velocity pitching will be the real test for Jung. He still looks to be a week or more away from doing that, as Rangers general manager Chris Young previously said that Jung is facing an 8-to-10-week recovery timeline after more damage to his wrist than expected was detected when surgery was performed, per MLB.com. Fantasy managers shouldn't bank on Jung returning from the IL until around early-to-mid June in a best-case scenario.

Riley (side) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

He'll miss out on a third straight start while he manages left side inflammation, but with the benefit of some added rest in the form of a team off day Thursday, Riley could be healthy enough to rejoin the starting nine for Friday's series opener versus the Padres. Zack Short will make another start at third base in Riley's place Wednesday.

Caminero made his first start of the season at second base with Triple-A Durham on Tuesday and went 3-for-6 with a home run, two RBI and an additional run.

The start at second base came on the same day Brandon Lowe visited a specialist due to continued concerns with his right oblique. Lowe ultimately received good news, and the expectation is that he will be able to resume his rehab assignment with Durham soon. However, it's notable that the Rays seem to be prepping Caminero as a contingency plan at second base, a position he hadn't started a game at since 2022. Caminero is slashing a robust .316/.385/.582 with seven long balls on the season. Prior to Tuesday, he had been exclusively playing third base for Durham.

Walls (hip) reported to the Rays' spring training facility in Port Charlotte, Fla. earlier this week and will go through workouts for the next 10-to-14 days before beginning a rehab assignment, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

According to Topkin, Walls will be going through a modified version of his own spring training while he builds up stamina and stacks up at-bats as he works his way back from the surgery he required last October to address a labral tear in his right hip. The Rays opted to shut Walls down in late April for two weeks after he experienced renewed inflammation in his hip, and the 27-year-old seemingly responded well to the extra time off. Since he's been on the injured list all season, Walls will presumably be in store for an extended minor-league rehab assignment, making it unlikely that he's activated before the end of May. Whenever he's ready to go, Walls could threaten Jose Caballero for everyday duties at shortstop.

Baty is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

With a tough lefty (Ranger Suarez) on the hill for Philadelphia, the lefty-hitting Baty will retreat to the bench. The freshly recalled Mark Vientos will get the start at third base and could end up filling the short side of a platoon with Baty while he's up with the big club.

Garcia is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

Garcia's only other day off this season came in the second game of a doubleheader. He will give way to Adam Frazier on Wednesday, both at third base and in the leadoff spot.

The Brewers optioned Dunn to Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday.

Though he served as Milwaukee's designated hitter in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Pirates, Dunn's playing time had been relatively sparse since mid-April with Joey Ortiz overtaking him as the preferred option at third base. As a left-handed hitter, Dunn wasn't a fit for the Brewers as a strong-side platoon player, either, so he'll head to Nashville to get some everyday playing time. Outfielder Chris Roller was called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

The Mets recalled Vientos from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday.

He'll assume the 26-man active roster spot of infielder Joey Wendle, who was designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Vientos will likely be limited to a short-side platoon role at third base behind the lefty-hitting Brett Baty while he's up with the big club.