MLB Player News

Del Castillo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.

The Diamondbacks are giving Ketel Marte a day off from playing second base but keeping his bat in the lineup at designated hitter, so Del Castillo will be the odd man out of the starting nine as a result. Del Castillo had served as Arizona's designated hitter for the past five games, going 4-for-14 with a home run, two walks, three RBI and an additional run during that stretch. The 26-year-old could soon be at risk of losing hold of his strong-side platoon role, however; Pavin Smith (elbow) is in the midst of a rehab assignment and could take over as the Diamondbacks' primary DH if he's activated from the 60-day injured list during the upcoming week.

Thompson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.

The left-handed-hitting Thompson will be held out of the starting nine for the third time in five games, with two of those absences coming against left-handed pitchers. Thompson has been seeing fairly steady playing time versus righties since being called up from Triple-A Albuquerque on May 22, but he hasn't made much of a case for maintaining a regular role moving forward. Through his first 30 big-league plate appearances, the 24-year-old has slashed .154/.267/.192 with one extra-base hit (a double), three RBI and one run.

Melendez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

Melendez will be on the bench for the fourth straight game and appears to have lost hold of his strong-side platoon role at designated hitter. Jared Young will get a third consecutive start at DH after going 2-for-6 with a solo home run, a walk and two additional runs over the first two contests of the series.

Andujar is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.

Andujar will check out of the lineup for the first time since May 9, ending a streak of 18 consecutive starts. Signed to a modest one-year, $4 million contract in February, Andujar has emerged as a key part of the San Diego lineup this season, with his 107 wRC+ placing him third on the team among players with at least 100 plate appearances.

Ozuna isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Twins.

Saturday will mark Ozuna's third consecutive absence from the starting lineup. Konnor Griffin will work as Pittsburgh's designated hitter again while working through a right forearm flexor strain, affording Jared Triolo a start at shortstop.

Smith went 3-for-5 with two runs scored in Friday's win over the Reds.

All three knocks were singles, but it was still the third time in his last seven games that Smith has recorded multiple hits and multiple runs scored. The 30-year-old is putting together his best campaign since 2020, slashing .336/.362/.513 through 128 plate appearances with five homers, 20 runs and 25 RBI while being Atlanta's primary DH against right-handed pitching.

Lowe went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 8-3 loss Atlanta.

Lowe's fourth-inning home run extended a hit streak to eight games. During the streak, Lowe has gone 11-for-30 (.367) with four doubles, three home runs, nine RBI and six runs scored. He's getting regular playing time against right-handers while Reds manager Terry Francona shuffles the starting lineup to cover for injured third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (back). Lowe is slugging at a career-high .570 percent with 18 of his 33 hits going for extra bases.

Schwarber went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Dodgers.

Schwarber's blast got the Phillies on the board in the sixth inning, but it didn't turn into a comeback rally. He continues to lead the majors with 22 homers, and he has two long balls over seven games since he recovered from an illness. The veteran slugger is batting .238 with a .963 OPS, 39 RBI, 36 runs scored and a stolen base across 54 contests this season.

Ohtani went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-2 win over the Phillies.

Ohtani's surge from the middle of the month has cooled a bit, but he still has three homers among nine hits over his last eight games as a hitter. All three of those long balls have been solo shots. He's up to 10 homers, 31 RBI, 37 runs scored and six stolen bases while batting .279 with a .909 OPS across 244 plate appearances. It's taken a little longer than usual, but Ohtani's rate stats are trending up into his typical range after a slow start to the year at the dish.

Melendez went 1-for-1 with a home run and three RBI during the Mets' 9-7 extra-inning win over the Marlins on Friday.

Melendez didn't start Friday's game but came in to pinch hit in the seventh inning, when his flyball to left field was enough to bring Bo Bichette home. Melendez made a bigger impact in the 10th frame, when he took Pete Fairbanks deep for a two-run, walk-off home run. Melendez entered the game having gone 2-for-35 with 16 strikeouts over his last 18 outings, but perhaps his big night against Miami will be enough to spark a turnaround at the plate.