MLB Player News

The Nationals optioned Alu to Triple-A Rochester on Monday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

After being called up from Rochester last Monday, Alu received three starts in left field during a five-game stretch, going a collective 1-for-9 with a walk and a stolen base. However, with lefty-hitting Corey Dickerson (calf) returning from the 10-day injured list Monday and presumably in line to reclaim a strong-side platoon role in left field, the Nationals won't have regular playing time available for Alu and will send him back to Triple-A as a result. The righty-hitting Stone Garrett remains with the Nationals and should serve as Dickerson's primary platoon mate.

McNeil will start at second base and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Nationals.

The Mets are facing a lefty (Patrick Corbin) in the series finale, but the lefty-hitting McNeil usually bats fifth or sixth even against southpaws. McNeil is sporting just a .487 OPS thus far in May, so the downturn in production could explain his drop in the lineup.

Bae went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Sunday's game against Baltimore.

Bae delivered a single that drove in two in the third inning of Sunday's win. After previously slipping into a reserve role, Bae has now started three consecutive games and four of the last five at second base for Pittsburgh. Playing time has opened after Mark Mathias was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis while Tucupita Marcano has primarily played at shortstop in recent contests. Bae has only a .623 OPS across 117 plate appearances for the season, though he's relevant in category leagues thanks to his 14 stolen bases.

Turang went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer in Sunday's 9-6 win over the Royals.

Turang took Jose Cuas deep to center in the third to cap off a seven-run inning by the Brewers. The long ball was his third of the year and just his first since April 17. Turang has picked it up some at the plate after he was slumping for a good majority of April. Over 11 games in May, he's slashing .313/.371/.438 with three RBI, five runs and a 3:10 BB:K. The 23-year-old has seen the majority of his starts come against right-handers while Owen Miller has primarily filled in against lefties.

Stott went 2-for-5 with a stolen base in Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Rockies.

This was Stott's second straight multi-hit effort, and he's picked up two steals over his last four games. The second baseman hit safely in 17 straight contests to begin the season, but he's cooled dramatically in May, batting .179 (7-for-39) through 10 games this month. He's still at a solid .284/.316/.370 slash line with two home runs, five steals, 12 RBI and 12 runs scored through 38 contests overall.

Alu will start in left field and bat fifth in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader with the Mets, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Alu will start for the third time in the past five games, with all coming against right-handed pitchers. Even though he bats from the right side, Alu has ceded the last two starts against southpaws to fellow right-handed hitter Stone Garrett, so the two players could end up forming a non-traditional platoon in left field. Since his call-up from Triple-A Rochester on Monday, Alu has gone 1-for-7 with a walk and a stolen base.

San Francisco optioned Villar to Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Villar hadn't seen consistent playing time thus far in May, and his outlook wasn't going to improve after Brandon Crawford (calf) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Sunday. As a result, the Giants elected to send Villar back to Triple-A so he can receive everyday at-bats.

Gorman went 1-for-1 with one double, one RBI and one run scored in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Red Sox.

Gorman pinch hit for Juan Yepez in the top of the ninth with the Cardinals trailing 3-1 and came through with a massive double that plated Paul Goldschmidt and pushed Willson Contreras to third. Both Contreras and Gorman would eventually come around to score the tying and go-ahead runs on a fielder's choice hit by Alec Burleson and throwing error by Enrique Hernandez. Gorman has been on fire over the last three games, hitting 3-for-6 with a pair of home runs while having a pair of massive at-bats as a pinch hitter.

Kim went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Dodgers.

Kim has hit safely in five of his last seven games, going 6-for-24 (.250) in that span. The homer was his first since May 1. The infielder is up to a .227/.319/.378 slash line with four long balls, 13 RBI, 12 runs scored and six stolen bases through 37 contests. He continues to see most of his time at second base while also occasionally filling in at shortstop and third base.

Hoerner (hamstring) fielded grounders, went through agility drills and played catch Saturday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

A hamstring strain interrupted a strong start to the season for Hoerner, who's hitting .303/.348/.395 through 35 games while stealing 12 bases. The Cubs haven't announced a specific date for his return, but the fact that he's able to perform a wide variety of activities despite hitting the injured list just one day prior seemingly gives him a shot at a minimum-length stay. Christopher Morel and Nick Madrigal have spent time at second base in his absence.