MLB Player News

Candelario (illness) is starting Friday against the Angels.

Candelario was removed from Wednesday's lineup against the Guardians due to a non-COVID illness, but he'll start at third base and bat eighth Friday. Over his last five games, he's gone just 1-for-18 with six strikeouts.

Newman went 3-for-4 with three runs scored Thursday against the Red Sox.

Newman has been hitting consistently at the top of the order with right-handers on the mound. Thursday's effort extended his hitting streak to four games, and he has seven runs scored in that span. Though there's little power in his profile, Newman has maintained a .276 average with five stolen bases, 21 runs scored and 15 RBI across 47 games this season.

Moncada went 1-for-3 with two walks and a three-run home run Thursday against the Astros.

Moncada was one of the few bright spots for the White Sox on Thursday as he delivered his seventh home run of the season. He's collected at least one hit in seven of his last eight games, maintaining a .267 average with seven RBI and three runs scored in that span. Moncada is still slashing a dreadful .202/.271/.327 across 299 plate appearances on the season.

Bregman went 4-for-6 with two home runs, two doubles, six RBI, four runs scored and a stolen base Thursday against the White Sox.

Bregman played a key role in the Astros 21-run outburst and has tallied four multi-RBI performances in his last eight starts. He's also collected a hit in 14 of his last 16 games since the start of August, maintaining a .397 average with five home runs, 17 RBI and 17 runs scored in that span. Bregman's hot stretch has bumped his slash line to .264/.367/.472 across 488 plate appearances on the season.

Machado went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the Nationals on Thursday.

San Diego managed only three hits in the contest, with Machado's fourth-inning solo blast accounting for the team's only run. The All-Star third baseman had his string of eight straight multi-hit contests snapped in the loss, though he still extended his hit streak to 10 games. Machado was named the NL Player of the Week last week as a result of slashing .429/.448/.821 with two homers and 10 RBI over six contests.

Vargas went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 3-1 win against the Padres.

Vargas produced the first run of the game with a solo shot off Yu Darvish in the third inning. The long ball was his first since May 20, though he's spent considerable time in the minors since that date. Vargas has never flashed much power in the minors, and he's swatted a modest 10 homers across 428 career at-bats as a big-leaguer.

The Royals optioned Garcia to Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.

With Kansas City welcoming Hunter Dozier (personal) back from the paternity list, Garcia will head down to the minors to play on a more regular basis. Across multiple brief stints in the big leagues this season, Garcia has gone 7-for-22 with two RBI and a run over nine games.

LeMahieu (toe) is starting at second base and batting leadoff Thursday against the Blue Jays.

The 34-year-old sat out the last three games after exiting Sunday's contest with inflammation in his right big toe, but he appeared as a pinch hitter Wednesday and is now back in the starting nine. LeMahieu was mired in a 1-for-18 slump prior to the absence and will look to get back on track after receiving a couple days off to get healthy.

Wisdom is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Orioles.

Wisdom will take a seat for the day game after a night game, paving the way for P.J. Higgins to draw a third consecutive start after he went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Nationals. Meanwhile, Wisdom went 0-for-4 on Wednesday, dropping his season average to .219. Even if Higgins gains more traction as an everyday player at first base for the Cubs, Wisdom would still likely have potential paths to steady at-bats at third base or designated hitter.

Rivera is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants.

Rivera started the last five games, but he went just 2-for-15 (.133) over the last four, so manager Torey Lovullo decided to hold him out Thursday. Stone Garrett will enter the lineup in Rivera's place.