MLB Player News

Castillo will start at shortstop and bat fifth in Tuesday's game against the Tigers.

With Pittsburgh sending Rodolfo Castro back to Triple-A Indianapolis over the weekend, Castillo looks primed to get a look as the team's everyday shortstop. Though he enjoyed a hot start to the season, Castillo has been mired in a deep slump at the plate since the beginning of May, slashing .197/.256/.310 in 26 games dating back to the start of last month.

Marcano is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Tigers.

With a tough southpaw (Tarik Skubal) on the hill for the opposition, the lefty-hitting Marcano will take a seat following an eight-game stretch in which he went 6-for-25 with two home runs, four walks, a double and a stolen base. Josh VanMeter's (finger) recent placement on the injured list creates a path for Marcano to play often at second base, though he may end up settling into a platoon with the righty-hitting Yu Chang, who picks up the start at the keystone Tuesday.

Watson is hitting .218/.264/.376 with six homers, nine steals and a 9:76 BB:K through 41 games for Single-A Jupiter.

Yes, you read that right -- he's struck out 76 times in 41 games and 178 plate appearances. That's a brutal 42.7 percent clip. Watson has been even worse recently, having whiffed 33 times in his last 69 at-bats over a span of 17 games; he's collected just 11 hits (10 singles and a double) in that span. A first-round pick last year, Watson is still only 19 and has plenty of time to get right in the minors, but his hot first few games of the year feel like a distant memory now.

Bichette went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Monday's 8-0 win over the Royals.

Bichette's ninth home run of the season was one of three on the night for the Blue Jays, who won for the eighth time in 10 games. The 24-year-old has had a big hand in the team's offensive turnaround of late, as he's slashing .308/.368/.596 dating back to May 24. Unfortunately for Bichette's fantasy managers, he was caught stealing on his only attempt during that stretch, and his limited involvement in the run game thus far has been a disappointing development for those who drafted him with the hope he'd be a pillar in the stolen-base category. He's nabbed just four steals through 54 games, which puts him on pace to finish with 12 over the 162-game season.

Barrero (hand) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Monday.

Barrero's rehab assignment was scheduled to end Wednesday, and he'll remain in Louisville now that he's back to full health. The 24-year-old appeared in 14 games during his rehab assignment and slashed .204/.316/.449 with three homers, six runs, six RBI and a stolen base. He'll be a candidate to provide utility depth for the major-league club at some point later in the year.

The Nationals activated Strange-Gordon (personal) from the paternity list Monday.

Victor Arano (knee) was placed on the 15-day injured list to open up room on the 26-man active roster for Strange-Gordon, who was away from the team over the weekend to observe the birth of his child. Now that he's back with the Nationals, Strange-Gordon is expected to settle back into a utility role.

Pena went 2-for-4 with an RBI on Sunday against the Royals.

Pena's production has slowed a bit of late, as he's tallied only two RBI across his last 11 starts. However, he's still collected four multi-hit performances in that span, good for a .256 batting average. Pena has been very impressive in his rookie season, maintaining a 135 wRC+ and .349 wOBA across 186 plate appearances.

Franco has yet to resume baseball activities since suffering a right quadriceps strain May 30, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

When Franco was placed on the 10-day injured list a day after suffering the injury, the Rays initially had optimism the star shortstop would be ready to return to action two weeks later. However, with Franco having yet to return to the field in any capacity in the week since he injured his quad, he could be facing a longer recovery timeline than expected. Taylor Walls should continue to receive the bulk of the starts at shortstop while Franco is on the IL.

Duran went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Mariners.

Duran restored a one-run lead for the Rangers with his seventh-inning blast. He went 0-for-3 with an error in his debut Saturday, but it didn't take long for the top prospect to make an impact. With Andy Ibanez optioned out to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday, Duran has a chance to establish himself as the starting third baseman while Josh Smith (shoulder) is on the injured list. Charlie Culberson will also be in contention for time at the hot corner, though both he and Duran are right-handed hitters.

Turner went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a stolen base in a 5-4 loss to the Mets on Sunday.

Turner opened the scoring with a two-run home run off New York starter Trevor Williams in the first inning, singled in the third and stole second after reaching on catcher's interference in the 10th. The long ball was the 28-year-old's sixth while the theft was his 11th, pulling him into a tie with Cedric Mullins for fifth in the league. Turner is now slashing .299/.352/.469 with 26 runs and 44 RBI in 54 games.