MLB Player News

Marte went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Padres.

Marte was involved in both of Arizona's scoring plays Friday. He hit a solo shot in the first inning and was on base when Christian Walker hit a two-run blast in the fourth. This was Marte's third homer in the last four games, a span in which he's gone 7-for-15 (.467). He's up to a .276/.368/.459 slash line with eight long balls, 29 RBI, 45 runs scored and four stolen bases in 80 contests. He was caught stealing in a loss to the Giants on Wednesday, which was his first attempted steal since June 15 -- that suggests he's starting to move past a hamstring injury that has nagged him since late June.

Rodgers went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double and four RBI in Friday's 13-2 win over the Pirates.

Rodgers' bases-loaded double in the third inning gave the Rockies the lead for good. He added a solo shot in the seventh as part of a four-run rally. He's hit safely in 10 of his 14 games in July, but this was his first multi-hit effort of the month. The second baseman has gone 11-for-52 (.212) in that span, which has caused his slash line to slip to .257/.312/.418 with nine homers, 47 RBI, 41 runs scored and 19 doubles through 79 contests.

Lux went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Thursday's 4-0 victory versus the Cardinals.

Lux provided the final runs of the contest with his two-run shot to right field in the seventh inning. The homer was just the fourth of the season for Lux, who slugged 26 homers between Double-A and Triple-A in 2019. Despite the lack of power, he's enjoying a solid season at the plate, slashing .299/.373/.425 with 44 runs, 22 RBI and five stolen bases over 287 plate appearances. He's also done well to improve his strikeout rate to 17.8 percent while maintaining a 10.9 percent walk rate.

Albies (foot) is hoping to return from the 60-day injured list in mid-to late August, Jeff Schultz of The Athletic reports.

General manager Alex Anthopoulos noted that Albies is at 75 percent weight-bearing on his surgically repaired left foot. The second baseman will still need to build through a progression of fielding his position and running the bases prior to going on a rehab assignment, but it appears as though Albies is at least on schedule -- if not a bit ahead -- in his recovery.

Villar is starting at third base and hitting sixth Thursday against the Brewers, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Villar was not originally in the lineup but will draw his 11th consecutive start after Wilmer Flores (calf) was scratched. Villar has maintained a .258/.385/.452 line across 39 plate appearances this season.

McNeil (personal) was reinstated from the paternity list Thursday and will start in left field and bat fifth in his return to the lineup for the Mets' series finale with the Cubs.

McNeil rejoined the Mets in Chicago after he missed the entire three-game series in Atlanta while observing the birth of his child. Though he'll be filling in for a resting Mark Canha in Thursday's contest, McNeil is expected to see most of his opportunities at second base moving forward, especially with Starling Marte (groin) back in the lineup in right field following a four-game absence.

Gorman is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Dodgers, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Gorman started the past seven games and will head to the bench after posting a .154/.241/.308 slash line with a 34.5 percent strikeout rate during that stretch. Brendan Donovan, who's been out the past few days with a non-COVID illness, will start at the keystone and bat eighth.

Donovan (illness) is starting at second base and batting eighth Thursday versus the Dodgers, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Donovan has been held out since Saturday due to a non-COVID-19 illness, but he'll return to the starting nine for Thursday's series finale. The 25-year-old has struggled through nine games in July, going 5-for-32 with three walks.

McNeil (personal) will be activated from the paternity list ahead of Thursday's matchup with the Cubs, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

McNeil will return to action after missing three contests while observing the birth of his son. Since the beginning of July, the 30-year-old has struggled to a .219 average with two doubles, two RBI and five runs, but he'll look to turn that around in the Mets' final series ahead of the All-Star break as they take on the Cubs in a four-game set.

Marte was caught stealing to end the first inning of Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Giants.

This was Marte's first attempted steal since returning from a hamstring injury June 21. The hamstring continues to be bothersome and has recently limited him to DH duty, but the attempted swipe suggests Marte is feeling better.