MLB Player News

The Pirates signed Kessinger to a minor-league contract Wednesday.

Kessinger -- who had been in the Mets organization -- will help backfill the organization's shortstop depth following the injury to Konnor Griffin (finger). The 28-year-old Kessinger missed the beginning of this season with a significant hamstring strain and slashed just .151/.242/.264 in 17 games with Triple-A Syracuse.

Atlanta designated Azocar for assignment Thursday.

Azocar was with the major-league club for a few days while Eli White was on paternity leave. With White returned to the active roster, Azocar is now headed to waivers. Azocar has re-signed with Atlanta on a minor-league deal after clearing waivers on two occasions earlier this season, so he could stick around.

Atlanta activated White from the paternity leave list Thursday.

White was away from the club the past few days while he and his family welcomed a new addition. He'll be available for Thursday's series finale in Pittsburgh.

Vargas went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 10-4 loss to the Padres.

Vargas was included in the lineup for the fifth time in six games. He's made three starts at first base as well as one each at second and shortstop during that span as he looks to be settling into more of a utility role. Vargas has gone 5-for-18 over five games in July, and while that's not all that impressive, he's still showing more consistency at the plate than his main competition for playing time, Pavin Smith. Vargas is batting .257 with a .699 OPS, seven home runs, 46 RBI, 39 runs scored, 12 doubles, two triples and two steals through 79 games this season.

Arenado went 3-for-4 in Wednesday's 10-4 loss to the Padres.

All three hits were singles, and Arenado ultimately wasn't directly involved in any run production. The third baseman has gone 18-for-74 (.243) with six extra-base hits and six RBI over his last 20 games. For the season, he's hitting .243 with a .711 OPS, 10 home runs, 37 RBI, 39 runs scored, 16 doubles and three stolen bases over 86 contests.

Troy went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 10-4 loss to the Padres.

Troy had gone nine games without an extra-base hit before his seventh-inning homer Wednesday. He also hasn't logged a multi-hit game since June 24 versus the Cardinals. He's hitting .222 with a .657 OPS, four homers, nine RBI, 21 runs scored, three doubles, one triple and one stolen base over his first 37 major-league contests. Troy looks set to remain in a starting role in center field while Jordan Lawlar (hamstring) is out.

Cabrera (0-2) allowed four runs on four hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out two over 4.1 innings to take the loss Wednesday versus the Padres.

Cabrera has now fallen short of the five-inning mark in consecutive outings. He's posted a 5.60 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 12:7 K:BB through 17.2 innings over four starts this season. The right-hander may stick in Arizona's rotation after the All-Star break if Michael Soroka (glute) isn't ready to begin the second half. The Diamondbacks come out of the break with 13 games in 13 days.

Song went 1-for-3 with a walk, one RBI, one stolen base and two runs scored in Wednesday's 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

Song continues to be effective on the basepaths. While he's gone a modest 7-for-27 (.259) at the plate over his last 13 games, he's notched six of his 10 steals on the year in that span. The infielder is batting .221 with a .617 OPS, one home run, 10 RBI, 12 runs scored and three doubles over 88 plate appearances overall this year. Song could see a short-term uptick in playing time at third base while Manny Machado (foot) is ailing.

Andujar went 3-for-4 with three doubles, two RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

Andujar has struggled for playing time lately, though he was able to get into the lineup as the designated hitter Wednesday while Manny Machado (foot) and Ty France sat out. Over his last 10 games, Andujar has gone 11-for-27 (.407) with four RBI and five doubles. He's batting .266 with a .731 OPS on the season while adding five home runs, 21 RBI, 21 runs scored, 17 doubles, two triples and two stolen bases over 234 plate appearances. Andujar has previous experience in the outfield, but it doesn't look like he's in consideration yet to absorb at-bats in left field while Samad Taylor (oblique) is out -- Jase Bowen got the start there in this contest and could occupy a platoon role alongside Gavin Sheets at the position.

Tatis went 2-for-4 with a hit-by-pitch, one RBI, two stolen bases and two runs scored in Wednesday's 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

Tatis has gone 9-for-32 (.281) with four steals and four doubles over eight games in July. He looks to be back to playing a full-time role in the outfield after seeing significant time at second base during Jake Cronenworth's absence. Tatis is now 23-for-32 on the basepaths this season, and he's added a .284 average, .730 OPS, five home runs, 35 RBI, 44 runs scored, 19 doubles and one triple over 91 contests.