MLB Player News

Kiner-Falefa is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

Kiner-Falefa will retreat to the bench for the series finale after he went 6-for-12 with two doubles, two RBI, two runs and one stolen base while starting each of Toronto's last three games. Ernie Clement will spell Kiner-Falefa at the hot corner.

Kiner-Falefa went 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI in Tuesday's win over the Mariners.

It's the first three-hit performance of the season for Kiner-Falefa, and he's gone 6-for-12 over the last three games. The 29-year-old utility player is batting .313 (10-for-32) on the season after the surge, but he has only one steal, two RBI and three runs to show for it as he's mainly hit eighth in the order when he's been in the lineup.

Castro is absent from the lineup Wednesday versus the Dodgers.

Castro has been getting most of the starts at third base versus right-handed pitching since Royce Lewis (quadricep) landed on the injured list, but Dodgers righty Bobby Miller has reverse splits for his career. Kyle Farmer will get the nod at the hot corner in Castro's stead.

Morel went 2-for-4 with a grand slam during Tuesday's 5-1 win over San Diego.

Morel launched his third homer of 2024 on Tuesday, tagging reliever Stephen Kolek for the grand slam on Kolek's first pitch out of the bullpen. The long ball was Morel's first grand slam of his career. He's now logged a hit in 10 of his 11 games this season and is slashing .326/.370/.605 with an excellent 10.9 percent strikeout rate across 46 plate appearances.

Wendzel started at third base and went 0-for-3 in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to Oakland.

Wendzel, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Round Rock on Monday, made his major-league debut. The 27-year-old third baseman takes over for the injured Justin Foscue (oblique) and will be part of the solution at the hot corner while Josh Jung (wrist) is unavailable. Normally, Josh Smith or Ezequiel Duran would start at third, but those two were filling in for resting regulars elsewhere.

Moncada was removed from Tuesday's game against the Guardians with a left adductor strain.

Moncada suffered the injury running out a grounder during the second inning and appeared to be in significant pain before being helped off the field. The 28-year-old was reported to be playing through minor groin/hip soreness of late, which seems likely to be the cause of Tuesday's injury.

Pauley was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday.

Pauley has struggled to start the 2024 season, having recorded just two hits in 15 plate appearances. Before being optioned, the third baseman was battling with veteran Tyler Wade for playing time. The 23-year-old made only three starts, but he should have more opportunity for regular at-bats in El Paso. Brett Sullivan was recalled from Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move.

Moncada has been playing through some minor hip/groin soreness in recent days, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

It's worrisome, given that Moncada has dealt with chronic issues to his lower half over the last two seasons. For now, though, it appears he'll continue to play through it, and he's off to a solid start that includes a .270/.357/.405 slash line over his first 10 games.

Brujan went 0-for-3 in Monday's 7-0 loss to the Yankees.

The 26-year-old has yet to pick up a hit through 12 at-bats this season, but his versatility should continue to get him spots in the lineup. Brujan is capable of playing all infield positions, and his plus speed allows him to get looks out in the outfield, as well.

High-A Rome placed McCabe on its 60-day injured list March 26 after he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow over the winter, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

As a position player, McCabe will face a shorter recovery from Tommy John surgery than a pitcher, but he may still miss the whole 2024 season due to the timing of his procedure. McCabe, who most recently slashed .278/.448/.361 with six doubles in 21 games in the Arizona Fall League, shouldn't need much more time at High-A before getting his first exposure to Double-A pitching.