MLB Player News

The Diamondbacks recalled Castillo from Triple-A Reno on Monday.

Josh Rojas was sent to Seattle as part of the Paul Sewald trade, so Castillo will join the major-league squad to make up for lost depth. The 25-year-old infielder has yet to play in a big-league game this season, but he's slashed .340/.442/.450 across 370 plate appearances in Triple-A.

Made was traded from the Cubs to the Nationals on Monday along with DJ Herz in exchange for Jeimer Candelario, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

A 20-year-old shortstop, Made has the defensive chops to play in the big leagues someday, but he hasn't shown much promise with the bat. Made has hit .244/.337/.359 with three home runs and three steals in 71 games during a repeat of High-A as a 20-year-old.

Bliss was traded from the Diamondbacks to the Mariners on Monday along with Dominic Canzone and Josh Rojas in exchange for Paul Sewald, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Bliss used good fortune (.408 BABIP) and a very favorable home park to slash .358/.414/.594 with 12 home runs and 30 steals for Double-A Amarillo, but he has struggled in 13 games since getting promoted to Triple-A. Given that Bliss is already 23 and was a below league average hitter at Single-A (99 wRC+) and High-A (82 wRC+), his run at Double-A looks like a clear outlier, but he has a chance to be a good defensive second baseman or a passable defensive shortstop, so he should at least have a big-league career as a bench infielder.

Velazquez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against Atlanta, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Zach Neto (back) will draw back in at shortstop Monday after missing seven of the Angels' last eight games, which likely spells an end to Velazquez's brief run as a regular in the lineup. Velazquez will move into a utility role and isn't expected to see frequent starting opportunities while both Neto and Luis Rengifo are available.

Neto (back) is starting at shortstop and batting eighth Monday in Atlanta, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

This recent back issue has bothered Neto dating back to July 22, when he was first scratched. He has appeared in four games since then without going on the injured list. Neto is hitting .216 with two home runs and 13 strikeouts in 11 games this month.

Berti will start in left field and bat sixth in Monday's game against the Phillies, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Marlins manager Skip Schumaker will continue to lean on the sizzling Berti, who will pick up his eighth straight start and his 10th in 11 games even though Miami has all its key position players available again with Jazz Chisholm and Avisail Garcia returning from the IL. Berti, who is slashing .472/.500/.611 with four extra-base knocks and three stolen bases since the All-Star break, is starting to gain traction in left field, where he's made three of his last four starts. While he continues to weld a hot bat, Berti looks as though he'll play ahead of Garcia and Avisail Garcia as the Marlins' third outfielder after Chisholm and Bryan De La Cruz.

Smith (back) went 2-for-3 with an RBI single, a two-run home run and a walk in Triple-A Las Vegas' win over Sugar Land on Sunday.

Smith started at third base and compiled all three of his RBI over the fourth and fifth innings. The 27-year-old also played shortstop for the Aviators on Friday, and he was encouragingly able to up his workload to seven innings Sunday after logging five frames in that contest. Having already suited up on three occasions overall for Las Vegas, Smith may only need another game or two down on the farm before being deemed ready for activation.

Duran went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored in Sunday's 5-3 loss to San Diego.

Duran was back in the lineup at shortstop after receiving a one-day respite. He walked and stole his sixth base in the fourth inning before coming home on a throwing error. He later scored on Marcus Semien's two-run single. Duran's production has dropped off since coming back from the break, posting a .167 average (7-for-42) with three RBI over the last 12 games.

Abrams went 2-for-3 with one run scored and three steals in Sunday's loss to the Mets.

Abrams showcased his elite speed Sunday, swiping three bags and reaching on an infield single. The shortstop accounted for the Nationals' only run, stealing home in the first inning. The 22-year-old now owns 24 steals on the season and has gone 13-for-44 (.295) with 10 runs scored and seven stolen bases over his last 11 appearances.

Lindor went 3-for-4 with one double, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 5-2 win over Washington.

After going homerless for 15 straight games -- his longest drought of the season -- Lindor has launched a long ball in back-to-back games to bring his season total to 21. While leading all shortstops with 21 homers, Lindor is also slashing .236/.323/.464 with 17 steals through 105 games.