MLB Player News

Bichette (forearm) will start at shortstop and bat second Friday against the Mariners.

Bichette was hit by a pitch during Wednesday's contest and had to sit out Thursday's game as a result, but he seems to be feeling well enough to play Friday. The 26-year-old has been having a down season at the plate, posting a career-worst .613 OPS in 308 plate appearances.

McKinstry isn't in the Tigers' lineup Friday versus the Reds.

McKinstry has gone 0-for-14 over his last five games, so he'll get a chance to regroup Friday while Ryan Kreidler starts at shortstop and bats ninth.

Rocchio is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Giants.

Rocchio will get a breather Friday after making four consecutive starts at shortstop. In his place, Gabriel Arias will play short and bat eighth.

Hamilton is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees.

Hamilton has now started just two of Boston's last six contests. He and Enmanuel Valdez have been sharing starts at second base against righties, but it will be Valdez at the keystone Friday versus lefty Nestor Cortes.

Arcia (tooth) will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Friday's game versus the Phillies.

Arcia missed three games after having an abscessed tooth extracted, but he's feeling well enough to give it a go in the series opener versus a division rival. The 29-year-old sports a disappointing .582 OPS this season for Atlanta.

Mastrobuoni will start at third base and bat eighth in Friday's game against the Angels.

Christopher Morel is getting a second straight day in the designated hitter spot, so Mastrobuoni will be tasked with handling the hot corner. It's his first start since he was recalled from Triple-A Iowa back on June 18.

Arcia is still not eating solid food after having an abscessed tooth pulled, and Atlanta might wind up placing him on the injured list, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The shortstop is fighting an infection he developed before the tooth was extracted. "All he's getting in him right now, is kind of the [protein] shakes and soup and things like that," manager Brian Snitker said Thursday. "So we were hoping we could maybe get him over here today and move around a little bit. We'll get him out here [Friday]." Arcia hasn't played since June 30 and slashed just .155/.217/.238 through 92 plate appearances last month. While Atlanta remains optimistic he could return to the lineup in short order, per MLB.com his availability for this weekend's series against the Phillies is in doubt.

Witt went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Thursday's loss to the Rays.

Witt drove home Kansas City's second run of the game with a sacrifice fly in the third inning before recording a hit in each of his next three trips to the plate, including a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth. It was the star shortstop's third multi-hit performance in his last four games, and he's now tallied at least one RBI in four straight. Witt is 6-for-11 (.545) through three games to start the month of July, and his .319 average on the season puts him at second in the majors behind Steven Kwan (.367).

Hamilton went 1-for-5 with a walk, an RBI, two runs and two stolen bases against the Marlins in Thursday's 6-5 extra-innings victory.

Hamilton scored Boston's first two runs of the contest, then collected a go-ahead RBI on a groundout in the 12th frame. The infielder also recorded two swipes of third base, moving him up to fourth in MLB with 23 stolen bases (on 24 attempts) for the season. Though Hamilton has seen his playing time dry up a bit of late, he has continued to produce fairly well. Despite hitting just .200 over his past 35 at-bats, he's recorded a home run, five RBI, eight runs and nine stolen bases during that stretch.

Pena went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run and a walk in Thursday's 5-3 victory against the Blue Jays.

Houston and Toronto combined for 19 hits in the contest, but only two went for extra bases, and Pena notched the lone long ball with his solo shot to left field in the seventh inning. The shortstop has hit two homers and two doubles during his current four-game hitting streak, and he's driven in three runs while scoring four times during that span. The recent upswing in power is a welcome sign for Pena's fantasy managers after he went deep just five times across his first 80 contests of the campaign.