MLB Player News

Lipscomb is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants.

The righty-hitting Lipscomb had already been excluded from the starting nine in four of the Nationals' last six matchups with right-handed pitchers, but he'll now find himself on the bench Thursday against a lefty (Kyle Harrison). Lipscomb already seems to have lost hold of a regular role at third base to Ildemaro Vargas, and a demotion to the minors could be imminent for the 24-year-old Lipscomb, who is slashing just .152/.211/.182 since he was recalled from Triple-A Rochester on July 6.

Blankenhorn is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants.

The Giants are sending a lefty (Kyle Harrison) to the hill for the second day in a row, so the lefty-hitting Blankenhorn will once again head to the bench. Platoon mate Harold Ramirez will get another turn as the Nationals' designated hitter and will slot sixth in the batting order.

Schwarber went 4-for-4 with three home runs, one double, one walk, seven RBI and three runs in Wednesday's 9-4 win over the Dodgers.

Schwarber took Gavin Stone deep for a leadoff shot to open the contest before adding a two-run double in the fifth to bring the Phillies back within one run. But the slugger wasn't done yet, launching two more home runs in his final two at-bats to put the finishing touches on Philadelphia's win. Schwarber has five home runs through six games in August, already matching his total for July. He's also hit safely in seven straight contests, tallying three multi-hit performances over that stretch.

Ross struck out a batter and allowed one hit and one walk over two scoreless innings out of the bullpen Tuesday in the Brewers' 10-0 win over Atlanta.

After returning from the 60-day injured list July 30, Ross started and covered five innings while taking a loss against Atlanta. Ross had started in each of his first 10 appearances of the season with Milwaukee and posted a 4.98 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in those outings before being moved to the bullpen this week. With the acquisition of Frankie Montas at the trade deadline, the Brewers didn't have room in the rotation for Ross, who should continue to operate as a low-leverage reliever until an injury to another starting pitcher reopens a rotation spot.

Yepez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a stolen base in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to the Giants.

The first baseman took Blake Snell deep in the third inning, briefly giving the Nationals a 3-2 lead that quickly evaporated. Yepez hasn't gone consecutive games without a hit since being added to the Nationals' roster in early July, and in 117 plate appearances over that stretch he's slashing .330/.380/.523 with 12 doubles, three homers, two steals, 16 RBI and 17 runs.

Murphy is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Brewers.

Murphy will take a seat for the Thursday afternoon contest after he caught all nine innings of Wednesday night's 8-5 loss while going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Travis d'Arnaud will settle in behind the dish for Atlanta in the series finale.

The Brewers could reinstate Hall (knee) from the 60-day injured list and have him start Sunday against the Reds, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The Brewers do not have a starter listed for Sunday, but Hall would be available on four days' rest after he allowed one run over four innings in his latest rehab start with Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday. Colin Rea would also be available on normal rest, but the Brewers may want to give him an extra day to recover from the seven shutout innings he tossed Tuesday in Atlanta. Hall has not made a start in the majors since late April, as he's been working his way back from a left knee sprain.

Irvin (8-10) took the loss Wednesday, surrendering five runs on eight hits -- including three home runs -- and a walk over five innings. He struck out four.

Mike Yastrzemski popped a solo shot off the right-hander in the fourth inning before Heliot Ramos and Matt Chapman both took him deep in the fifth. Issues keeping the ball in the yard are nothing new for Irvin -- he's been tagged for multiple homers in four of his last six trips to the mound, and over that stretch he's seen his ERA on the season rise from 2.80 to 3.76. Irvin could have a tough time turning things around in his next outing, which lines up to come on the road early next week in Baltimore.

Duvall will start in left field and bat eighth in Thursday's game against the Brewers.

Duvall will get his second straight start in left field and has a clearer path to playing time against right-handed pitching after Atlanta designated Eddie Rosario for assignment Thursday, but Duvall's run atop the depth chart is likely to be short-lived. Michael Harris (hamstring) is in the midst of a rehab assignment and could be activated from the 60-day injured list as soon as this weekend, at which point Jarred Kelenic would likely shift over from center field and take on an everyday role in left.

Chapman went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's 7-4 win over the Nationals.

The veteran third baseman connected on his 19th homer of the year when he launched a solo shot off Jake Irvin in the fifth inning. Chapman has found a groove since the All-Star break, and over his last 14 games he's slashing .377/.459/.811 with five doubles, six long balls, 13 runs and 13 RBI.