MLB Player News

Miranda went 2-for-5 with one RBI in Sunday's loss against the Blue Jays.

The 24-year-old continues to rake, with Sunday marking his second straight two-hit effort. Now hitting .352 since the beginning of July, Miranda is living up to his prospect pedigree. The Twins have moved him more regularly into the cleanup spot in the order, and that has allowed him to rank fourth in the majors in RBI since the beginning of July.

Hayes went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer, a walk and a strikeout during Sunday's 8-1 win over the Orioles.

Hayes had a lackluster performance at the plate but has now recorded hits in five consecutive games. During that time, he's hit .286 with a home run, a double, five RBI and a stolen base. In spite of his struggles in late July, the 25-year-old has continued to have an everyday role for the Pirates.

Rivera went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and a walk in Sunday's 6-4 win over the Rockies.

Rivera put Arizona on the comeback trail with his sixth-inning solo shot. It was his first homer and second hit in three games since he was traded from the Royals last Monday. The righty-hitting third baseman has started twice in the team's last five contests, though the Diamondbacks have yet to face a southpaw since he joined them. Rivera owns a .238/.290/.413 slash line with seven homers, 23 RBI, 28 runs scored, nine doubles and three triples through 221 plate appearances this year. The versatility of regular third baseman Josh Rojas could afford Rivera slightly more than just a short-side platoon role.

Longoria (hamstring) is expected to be reinstated from the 10-day injured list Monday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Longoria has been sidelined by the hamstring strain since July 23, and he's set to return Monday without the need of a minor-league rehab assignment. The 36-year-old has a.243/.331/.459 slash line with nine home runs and 19 RBI in 49 games this season, and he figures to receive regular days off given his recent injury issues, especially after the acquisition of J.D. Davis at the trade deadline.

Urshela (ankle) will start at third base and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

Urshela is back in action after he was sidelined for the previous three contests due to a twisted ankle, which he suffered Wednesday against the Tigers, according to Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Assuming he avoids any setbacks in Sunday's contest, Urshela should serve as the Twins' primary third baseman moving forward, though he'll cede the occasional start at the position to hot-hitting rookie Jose Miranda.

Davis went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Athletics.

Tommy La Stella started at third base Saturday, but Davis entered as a pinch hitter and clobbered a solo shot to center field. This was Davis' second homer in three games with the Giants after he hit just four in 66 contests with the Mets to begin the year. The 29-year-old is up to a .241/.323/.387 slash line with 24 RBI, 28 runs scored and a stolen base, but it appears he's settling in nicely to a part-time role with his new team.

Vargas went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk in Saturday's 11-5 loss to the Phillies.

He's now picked up a start in three of the past four games, getting two nods at third base and one at shortstop while going 6-for-9 with a walk. Vargas is in the lineup at third base again Sunday and will hit ninth in Sunday's series finale. At this point, Vargas may have leapfrogged Maikel Franco as the Nationals' preferred option at the hot corner.

Muncy went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 8-3 win against San Diego.

Muncy's lone hit of the game was a big one, as his fifth-inning, three-run blast gave Los Angeles a lead it did not relinquish. The homer was his second in four games and extended his on-base streak to eight contests. Over that stretch, Muncy is slashing .276/.353/.552 -- a considerable uptick from his .170/.313/.329 line on the season.

Walls is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Yu Chang will step in at shortstop for Walls, who looks to be receiving a routine maintenance day. Walls had started in each of Tampa Bay's last five games while going 3-for-16 with a home run, four walks, three runs and two RBI.

Freeman is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.

Following his promotion from Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday, Freeman went 2-for-8 with two walks and a run while drawing three straight starts at three different positions in the infield. Despite the respectable start to his big-league career, Freeman will be on the bench Sunday for the second contest in a row and looks like he'll have to settle for a utility role while he's up with the big club.