MLB Player News

Alu, who opened the season on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Rochester with a knee sprain, began a rehab assignment with High-A Wilmington on Friday.

The injury is apparently a minor one, and Alu looks like he'll be back with Rochester before long. Given that he occupies a spot on the 40-man roster and has little left to prove in the minors (.925 OPS in 59 career games at Triple-A), Alu should make his big-league debut sometime this summer.

Rojas started at designated hitter and went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in Monday's 3-0 win over Milwaukee.

The hot-hitting Rojas, who typically sits out against lefties, got the start in place of Kyle Lewis (illness) against Brewers southpaw Wade Miley. The move paid dividends immediately, as Rojas singled home Ketel Marte, who had doubled to lead off the bottom of the first inning. Rojas has a five-game hit streak, going 11-for-20 with three doubles, five RBI and five runs scored during that stretch. The Brewers will throw righty Corbin Burnes on Tuesday, so expect Rojas in the lineup, either at DH or third base.

Trejo went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI in a 7-4 win against St. Louis on Monday.

Trejo started his fourth game of the campaign and more than doubled his season hit tally with the three-single performance. The 26-year-old knocked in a run with a single in the fourth inning and repeated the feat in the sixth. Trejo hadn't knocked in or scored any runs coming into Monday, so he's not much of a fantasy asset at the moment.

Hoerner went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base in Monday's 10-inning win over the Mariners.

Hoerner has played in all nine games so far for the Cubs, and he has multiple hits in five of those contests. That's led to a .341 batting average for the leadoff man, and he's also up to four stolen bases. The combination of good contact skills and ample opportunities on the bases has made Hoerner a strong fantasy asset to date.

Garcia (hamstring) is not in the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Angels, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Garcia has not returned to the lineup since leaving Friday's contest with tightness in his hamstring. Michael Chavis is starting at second base against the Angels and will hit seventh. If Garcia can't return in the coming days, a trip to the injured list cannot be ruled out.

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

Guillorme is at the keystone while Jeff McNeil shift to right field to cover for Starling Marte (neck). The utility infielder is 3-for-16 so far at the plate this season.

Bae is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros.

Though he'll give way to the righty-hitting Mark Mathias with southpaw Framber Valdez on the mound for Houston, the lefty-hitting Bae nonetheless looks as though he'll have an even clearer runway to a near-everyday role with shortstop Oneil Cruz (fibula) expected to be sidelined for around four months following surgery. Bae had already started in seven of his Pirates' first nine games while moving between second base and center field, but he could end up seeing most of his time at the keystone moving forward while Rodolfo Castro likely serves as Cruz's primary replacement at shortstop. The 23-year-old Bae looks like an appealing pickup in mid-sized or deeper leagues for any manager looking for help in stolen bases and possibly runs, as he could be a candidate to fill Cruz's spot as the Pirates' main leadoff man versus right-handed pitching.

The Pirates recalled Mathias from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.

Mathias will give the Pirates another infielder, with Oneil Cruz (ankle) on the shelf for a while. The 28-year-old Mathias was acquired from the Rangers during spring training after a productive stretch for Texas last year over an abbreviated stretch. According to Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com, Mathias is expected to start at second base Monday against the Astros, and he'll also be an option at third base and in the corner outfield while he's up with the big club, though he won't necessarily fill Cruz's spot in the lineup on an everyday basis.

Rojas went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a stolen base in Sunday's 11-6 win over the Dodgers.

Rojas set the tone early for the Diamondbacks, leading off with a single, stealing second base then coming home on Pavin Smith's double. This was Rojas' third three-hit game, and he extended a hit streak to four. If his defense holds up, Rojas should continue as the strongside of a platoon at third base.

Kim went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk and three RBI during Sunday's 10-2 victory in Atlanta.

Kim entered Sunday's contest in a 2-for-15 slump, but he busted out early with an RBI double during the second inning and then launched a two-run homer in the fifth. The 27-year-old has a .281/.343/.594 slash line with two home runs, four doubles, four RBI and four runs through nine games this year.