MLB Player News

Freeland is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Athletics.

Miguel Rojas will receive the start at second base as Freeland moves to the bench after going 4-for-17 with a double, three walks and five runs while covering the keystone in the Dodgers' previous five games. With Los Angeles bringing Teoscar Hernandez (hamstring) back from the injured list Monday, utility man Tommy Edman's opportunities in the outfield could become more limited. Edman could end up poaching more starts from Freeland at second base as a result.

The Padres reinstated Cronenworth (concussion) from the 7-day injured list Monday. He'll start at second base and bat ninth in the Padres' series opener versus the Cubs.

San Diego optioned infielder/designated hitter Will Wagner to Triple-A El Paso to clear a spot on the 26-man active roster for Cronenworth, who returns to the Padres after a nearly two-month stint on the shelf. Cronenworth proved his health last week during a three-game rehab stint with El Paso, going 3-for-12 with a home run and a double while making one start apiece at second base, designated hitter and shortstop. The 32-year-old is likely to see most of his playing time at the keystone, which will result in Fernando Tatis transitioning back into more of a full-time role in right field after he split time between the infield and outfield while Cronenworth was out of commission.

Castro is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Marlins.

Castro will get his first day off since June 17, ending a stretch of nine consecutive starts for the veteran infielder. While Castro hits the bench Monday, the Rockies will turn to Edouard Julien at second base and Kyle Karros at third base.

Smith is slashing .370/.460/.658 with five home runs, 10 stolen bases and an 11:17 BB:K in 20 games with Single-A Palm Beach in June.

Acquired from the Orioles in April in exchange for left-handed reliever Nick Raquet, Smith had little-to-no prospect pedigree coming into the season, and he slashed only .200/.339/.300 through the end of May. However, the 22-year-old has broken through in June and could prove to be a sneaky trade acquisition for the Cardinals. Smith has been deployed in a super utility role with Palm Beach, making starts at every position other than first base, catcher and pitcher.

Semien was diagnosed Monday with a Grade 3 left hip flexor strain and is expected to be out for 4-to-6 weeks, at a minimum, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Semien initially tried to play through the injury, but it was too debilitating and he eventually landed on the 10-day injured list Thursday. While the 35-year-old infielder is shelved, the Mets will continue to use Brett Baty as their primary second baseman, with Ronny Mauricio also in the mix for some starts.

McLain is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Cincinnati will go with Elly De La Cruz and Edwin Arroyo as its starters in the middle infield for the second day in a row while McLain is relegated to the bench. Arroyo has generated a modest .644 OPS since his call-up from Triple-A Louisville on June 1 and may need to improve his production to seize control of the everyday job at second base, but McLain hasn't done much to earn himself a larger share of the playing time. After going hitless in eight at-bats over his last three starts, his batting average has dropped to .198 on the season.

Arroyo will start at second base and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Since Elly De La Cruz returned from the 10-day injured list Tuesday and pushed Matt McLain off shortstop, Arroyo and McLain have been splitting time at the keystone. Arroyo has held a slight edge in playing time between the two, as he's started three games to McLain's two and will be in the lineup for a second straight day against a righty (Mitch Keller). Since being called up from Triple-A Louisville on June 1, Arroyo has produced a pedestrian .263/.328/.316 over 65 plate appearances, so he likely has more work to do to take firmer control of the second base gig.

Nunez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

The Nationals will go with Jorbit Vivas at the keystone Sunday while Nunez heads to the bench for the first time since June 12. Nunez started the last 14 games, slashing .386/.460/.500 with seven runs and seven RBI over that stretch. He also contributed seven stolen bases during that time, bringing his season total to an MLB-leading 32.

Lowe went 1-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Saturday's 9-7 loss to the Reds.

Lowe gave the Pirates an early lead with a three-run blast in the third inning before adding a sacrifice fly in the seventh. The 30-year-old has hit safely in 10 of his past 11 contests, tallying six extra-base hits, 10 RBI and eight runs scored during that stretch. On the year, he's slashing .246/.320/.515 with 20 homers, 56 RBI and 51 runs scored across 341 plate appearances.

Julien isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Minnesota.

Julien will grab a seat on the bench Saturday after going 1-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored during Friday's series opener. Tyler Freeman will shift to second base while Julien sits, opening up right field for Troy Johnston.