MLB Player News

Westburg stole a base as a pinch runner in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Rays.

Westburg started on the bench for the fourth time in the last eight games, but he was still able to provide a small impact when he got in the game. Of those four times he's been out of the lineup, two have come against right-handers and two against southpaws, so this appears to be more of a balancing act for manager Brandon Hyde with his infield usage rather than anything specifically against Westburg. The rookie infielder has scuffled in his limited time since the All-Star break, going 4-for-21 (.190) with eight strikeouts over eight contests. It would be more likely for him to be optioned out to Triple-A Norfolk rather than sit on the bench for any extended length of time.

Dubon is getting the day off Saturday against the Athletics, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Grae Kessinger will start at second base for the Astros and get his first turn at leadoff. Dubon went 0-for-5 on Friday versus Oakland as his season slash line fell to .271/.296/.377.

Diaz will be on the bench for Saturday's game against Houston.

Diaz knocked in a pair of runs Friday but will be rewarded with a trip to the bench. In 15 games since returning to the majors, he's hit .283/.333/.435 with two homers. Jace Peterson will handle third base Saturday.

Remillard is out of the lineup Saturday against the Twins.

He spent about a month as the White Sox's top option at second base, but Elvis Andrus seems to have reclaimed that role, starting four consecutive games at the keystone. Remillard started at third base Thursday and in right field Friday, so he still has multiple paths to playing time in a utility role, but he'll step out of the lineup Saturday.

Brujan was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 25-year-old is taking the roster spot vacated by Taylor Walls (oblique) and could see some starts while Walls is out, particularly versus left-handers. Brujan posted a lowly .486 OPS during his time in the big leagues in 2023.

Westburg is absent from the lineup for Saturday's game in Tampa Bay, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

It's a rare off day versus a lefty for Westburg, although it's no ordinary southpaw in Shane McClanahan. Gunnar Henderson will be at third base while Jorge Mateo plays shortstop.

Diaz went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and a bases-loaded walk in a loss to the Astros on Friday.

The rookie accounted for half of the Athletics' runs on the night with a timely third-inning knock and a disciplined plate appearance in the fifth that led to a walk. Diaz has hit safely in three of his past four games and now has a trio of two-RBI efforts since July 5 while also generating a .297 average and .828 OPS across 41 plate appearances during the latter span.

Caballero went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays.

Caballero's playing time is on the rise again -- he's started four of the last five games at second base, including three times against right-handed pitchers. The 26-year-old has gone just 3-for-16 with one RBI in that span, but it's not like Kolten Wong (4-for-30 in July) is doing much better. Caballero is up to a .228/.354/.333 slash line with 16 steals, three home runs, 21 RBI and 23 runs scored through 198 plate appearances this year.

Kemp went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and two runs scored in Friday's 6-4 loss to the Astros.

Kemp saw his seven-game hitting streak snapped Thursday, but he bounced back well Friday. The 31-year-old has shown more of a willingness to run lately, recording seven steals over his last 16 contests. He's slashing a meager .213/.306/.307 with three home runs, 19 RBI, 31 runs scored, seven doubles and three triples over 79 contests, and his 11 stolen bases match his career high from last year. Kemp is seeing most of his playing time in left field lately, though that could change once Ramon Laureano (hand) is activated from the injured list.

Massey finished 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in the Royals' loss to the Yankees on Friday.

Massey entered the day in a rut, but he parked a three-run shot to right field off Clarke Schmidt in the top of the fourth inning and added a solo drive off Tommy Kahnle in the top of the eighth. It was the first career multi-homer game for the 25-year-old second baseman, who now has six home runs in 243 plate appearances this year.