MLB Player News

Marte went 2-for-4 with a home run, a triple, four RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 10-1 win over the Nationals.

Marte provided a big three-run homer in the third inning and added a sacrifice fly in the eighth. This was his third multi-hit effort in his last five games, and he's gone deep four times in his last seven. Notably, the 28-year-old started at second base -- lingering effects from a hamstring injury had limited him to designated hitter for much of the last month. He owns a .274/.364/.466 slash line with nine homers, 33 RBI, 47 runs scored, four stolen bases, two triples and 26 doubles in 340 plate appearances.

Kim is not in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the Mets.

Kim will remain on the bench for the second game in a row Friday after also getting a breather Sunday versus the Diamondbacks prior to the All-Star break. CJ Abrams will draw another start at shortstop and bat ninth against New York.

Rojas isn't starting Friday against the Nationals.

Rojas started the last 11 games and hit .268 with a homer, four doubles, seven RBI, three runs and three stolen bases. Sergio Alcantara is shifting to third base while Buddy Kennedy serves as the designated hitter.

Lux isn't starting Thursday against the Giants, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Lux started the four games prior to the All-Star break and went 1-for-12 with a homer, three runs, two RBI, three walks and a strikeout. Hanser Alberto is taking over at the keystone and batting sixth Thursday.

Villar is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Dodgers, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

After sitting against lefty Aaron Ashby and the Brewers in the Giants' final game before the All-Star break July 17, the righty-hitting Villar now finds himself on the bench against Dodgers right-hander Mitch White in San Francisco's first contest of the second half. Even though Tommy La Stella (illness) is still stuck on the COVID-19-related injured list and Thairo Estrada is filling in at shortstop while Brandon Crawford (knee) is on the IL, Wilmer Flores may be ahead of Villar for playing time in the middle infield. Flores will pick up his second straight start at the keystone.

Hoerner went 3-for-4 with an RBI in a 3-2 win over the Mets on Sunday.

Hoerner had a good night at the plate, rapping out three singles, including one which cashed in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth with two out. The three-hit performance made up for a defensive gaffe earlier in the game when the second baseman misplayed a rundown situation which allowed Starling Marte to scamper home from third and Francisco Lindor to reach safely at second. Despite only walking 4.1% of the time, Hoerner has shown excellent bat-to-ball skills and his hitting .307 with a .305 xBA.

Estrada went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's 9-5 win over the Brewers.

Estrada heads into the All-Star break warm, going 9-for-29 (.310) in his last eight games. He singled and stole second in the seventh inning Sunday, giving him 13 steals in 15 attempts for the year. The infielder has added a .259/.310/.417 slash line with nine home runs, 36 RBI and 46 runs scored in 303 plate appearances. With Brandon Crawford (knee) likely to need more than a minimum stay on the injured list, Estrada should function as the Giants' primary shortstop in the short term.

Rojas went 1-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base in a 3-1 victory over San Diego on Sunday.

Batting leadoff, Rojas singled and stole second in the first inning while tacking on walks in the fifth and seventh to reach base three times for the third time this month. Through 16 July games, the 28-year-old is slashing .339/.431/.536 with an impressive eight doubles, nine walks and three thefts. Rojas concludes the first half with a .271/.344/.407 slash line, five home runs, 34 runs, 26 RBI and eight stolen bases in 61 games.

Kim is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks

CJ Abrams will fill in at shortstop for Kim, who gets a breather for the Padres' final game before the All-Star break after recording at least one hit while starting in each of the past five contests. Kim should continue to serve as San Diego's primary option at shortstop until Fernando Tatis (wrist) is deemed ready to return from the 60-day injured list for his 2022 debut.

Villar is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Though the righty-hitting Villar will see his streak of 13 consecutive starts come to an end Sunday even while the Brewers bring a southpaw (Aaron Ashby) to the mound, the rookie infielder should still have a fairly clear path to playing time. Even though Evan Longoria is back from a recent stint on the injured list, Brandon Crawford's (knee) recent move to the IL will likely result in Thairo Estrada stepping in as the Giants' primary shortstop. That paves the way for Villar to pick up more playing time at second base, though Wilmer Flores will man the keystone in the series finale with Milwaukee.