Vargas went 2-for-3 with an RBI but was caught stealing twice in Friday's loss to the Astros.

Starting at third base and batting ninth, Vargas had another good showing at the plate, but it was his misadventures on the basepaths that stood out in a 5-3 loss. He was picked off at second base by Justin Verlander and caught in a rundown in the third inning, then was thrown out trying to steal second base in the eighth. Vargas is batting .323 (10-for-31) with a 5:3 BB:K through 11 games and has been seeing semi-regular playing time around the infield, but Friday's performance won't endear him to manager Dave Martinez.

Garcia went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Friday's loss to the Astros.

That's now four steals on the season for Garcia, including three in the last two games. The 23-year-old second baseman is having a strong start to the year overall, slashing .296/.333/.481 through 17 games with seven doubles, a homer, four runs and eight RBI, and he's hit either fourth or fifth in four straight games -- all against right-handed pitchers -- as the Nationals search for a batting order that can produce consistent offense.

Brujan is starting at shortstop and batting eighth in the first game of the Marlins' doubleheader against the Cubs on Saturday.

The switch-hitting Brujan will face off against Cubs right-hander Javier Assad in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. Tim Anderson figures to start at shortstop in the second game against Chicago left-hander Shota Imanaga. Brujan has gone just 2-for-20 with one double, one RBI and one run to start the season.

Hoerner went 2-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 8-3 win over the Marlins.

Hoerner paced the way as the leadoff hitter, and after a slow start to the season, he's now batting a robust .361 over his last 10 games. The infielder has batted .280 or better in each of the last three years, and he should be able to reach that mark again in 2024, particularly if he keeps up his recent level of performance.

Marte went 4-for-6 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's win over the Giants.

Marte led the Diamondbacks offense to a monster night as the team scored 17 runs. This is the second baseman's first four-hit effort since Sept. 19, 2023, which also came against San Francisco. Marte has been scorching hot to start the season, slashing .345/.392/.598 with five home runs, 12 RBI and 21 runs scored over 97 plate appearances.

Lux isn't in the Dodgers' lineup for Friday's game against the Mets.

The Dodgers will face left-hander Sean Manaea on Friday, meaning the left-handed bat of Lux will begin the game in the dugout. Enrique Hernandez will fill in at second base and bat sixth.

Stott is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the White Sox.

Sott has a .618 OPS through 19 games this season and will take a seat Friday as lefty Garrett Crochet starts for Chicago. Edmundo Sosa will handle the keystone and bat eighth.

Guillorme is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Texas.

The 29-year-old started the past two games at second base after Ozzie Albies (toe) was placed on the injured list, but the lefty-hitting Guillorme will sit Friday as southpaw Andrew Heaney pitches for the Rangers. David Fletcher will take over at the keystone and bat ninth.

The Cubs optioned Mastrobuoni to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

He was able to crack the Opening Day roster with Patrick Wisdom on the injured list before the season began. Mastrobuoni appeared in just eight games and only reached base once on a walk across 13 plate appearances. In a corresponding move, Wisdom was activated from the 10-day injured list.

Garcia went 1-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases in Wednesday's win over the Dodgers.

The 23-year-old stole a career-high nine bases last year, and Garcia is already 3-for-3 on the basepaths to begin 2024. After looking like his starting job at second base might be in jeopardy this spring, Garcia's come out of the gate slashing .294/.321/.490 through 16 games with seven doubles, a homer, four runs and eight RBI. He's also been working his way into a better spot in the batting order against right-handers, and he hit cleanup Wednesday. If he stays in the heart of the lineup, Garcia's counting-stat production should pick up.