MLB Player News

McNeil (hamstring) may start his rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse as soon as Friday, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

Once healthy, the versatile McNeil will be an invaluable addition to the Mets' injury-depleted roster, even if he underperformed (by his standards) with a .242 average before suffering the hamstring strain in May.

Marte went 2-for-4 in Sunday's 2-0 loss to Milwaukee.

The Diamondbacks may be in a free fall, but Marte's offense isn't. The 27-year-old infielder/outfielder extended a hit streak to seven games, during which he's 15-for-30 with five extra-base hits, six RBI and six runs. The offense has been good, but Marte's defense in center field has slipped, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. "It's not necessarily closing in on the ball or moving full speed, it's the first moves to the baseball, the angles to the baseball," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. "Those are things we feel he could do a little better job with." Marte is near the bottom of the league among center fielders in defensive runs saved and ultimate zone rating. He already qualifies at second base this season, but he's yet to earn a start at the keystone in 2021. If the declining defense moves him to second base going forward, then fantasy managers can eke out another year of middle infield flexibility from Marte next season.

Drury will start at third base and bat sixth Sunday against the Padres.

Drury will pick up his fourth start in five games Sunday, with the last three coming at third base in place of Jonathan Villar (hamstring). The Mets continue to view Villar as day-to-day, but Drury would likely settle in as the primary option at the position if Villar becomes the next player to join the team's lengthy injured list.

The Giants recalled Estrada from Triple-A Sacramento prior to Sunday's game against the Cubs, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

With Evan Longoria landing on the injured list Sunday with a shoulder sprain, Estrada is set for his first major-league action of 2021. The infielder, who's played a combined 61 games for the Yankees across 2019 and 2020, was hitting an impressive .381/.435/.629 with six homers at Sacramento prior to his promotion. He's not in the starting lineup Sunday, but he figures to be an option off the bench for manager Gabe Kapler.

India will start at second base and bat leadoff Sunday against the Cardinals.

He'll top the order against a right-handed pitcher (John Gant) for the second game in a row, signaling that India has supplanted Eugenio Suarez -- who will hit sixth -- for the leadoff gig. India ignited the Cincinnati offense in Saturday's 5-2 win, going 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and a walk in what was his third straight two-hit performance.

India went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, double and walk in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Cardinals.

India's third-inning homer off Johan Oviedo marked the second baseman's second long ball in as many games and his fifth of the season. His pair of hits extended his hit streak to four games and brought his slash line to a solid .261/.367./428 on the campaign. He'll look to stay hot in Sunday's series finale against the Redbirds.

Albies went 1-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run Saturday in Atlanta's 6-4 win over the Dodgers.

Albies has now recorded at least one double and one RBI in five consecutive games, and he's plated exactly two runs in the last four of those contests. Though he hasn't slugged a home run in Atlanta's last 10 games, Albies' rapidly rising batting average to go along with an uptick in his run producing and base stealing (3-for-4 over this stretch) has been a welcome sight for fantasy managers. He'll start at second base and bat third in Sunday's series finale.

Rodgers went 2-for-2 with a two-run home run in Saturday's loss to the Athletics.

Rodgers entered the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning and blasted a two-run shot to center field. The homer was his first as a major leaguer and came in his 146th career plate appearance. Rodgers has hit as many as 19 homers in one season in the minors, so there may be some pop in his bat waiting to be tapped into.

Frazier went 1-for-6 with two RBI and a run scored in Saturday's win over the Marlins.

Frazier knocked a two-run single in the bottom of the second to put the Pirates up 2-0 and later scored the game-winning run on an RBI single by Jacob Stallings in the 12th. The second baseman also extended his hitting streak to nine games and is hitting .361 with a .994 OPS, nine RBI and 10 runs scored in that span.

Rojas went 2-for-5 with a pair of solo home runs in Saturday's 7-5 loss to Milwaukee.

Rojas took little time to snap an 0-for-9 skid at the plate, hitting a leadoff homer in the first inning. He went yard again in the seventh, and both long balls went over the center field fence. The 26-year-old has a .264/.341/.456 slash line with seven homers, 17 RBI, 29 runs scored and two stolen bases in 205 plate appearances. He's established himself as a leadoff hitter as well as a versatile option on defense.