MLB Player News

Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

The rookie will hit the bench for a second straight day while he continues to labor at the plate since his Aug. 5 promotion to the big leagues. Through his first 97 plate appearances, Diaz is hitting just .157 while striking out 28.9 percent of the time. Starlin Castro will cover the keystone in place of Diaz in the series finale.

Marte (hamstring) will bat third and start at second base Sunday against the Dodgers.

Marte was held out of the lineup the last two days with the right hamstring issue, though he did appear as a pinch hitter Friday. The 25-year-old had a .356/.431/.611 slash line with five home run and four stolen bases over 23 games in August.

Manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers have yet to decide whether or not to promote Lux in September, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Lux will likely join the team regardless, but if he isn't actually called up he would work in an apprentice-type role to gain experience while not being eligible to play in games. The 21-year-old has done everything he can to prove he's ready in 48 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City, slashing .390/.478/.723 with 13 home runs since his promotion in late June. According to Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times, whatever the Dodgers decide, Lux won't join the team when rosters expand Sunday, but he could arrive during the week once Oklahoma City's season officially comes to an end.

Marte (hamstring) said that he thinks he will return to the lineup Sunday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

The Diamondbacks held Marte out of Friday's lineup due to a lingering right hamstring issue and he will sit again Saturday, though he's available to pinch hit. Marte's slash line has only gotten better since the All-Star break and he's stolen four bags in August after swiping five total over the first four months of the season. He's been a top-eight outfielder so far in terms of year-to-date fantasy value.

Diaz is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Nationals, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

Following an 0-for-4 showing Friday, Diaz is now batting .157 through his first 24 games, and he's been caught on both of his stolen-base attempts. The Marlins should be content to let Diaz work through his struggles, but manager Don Mattingly fills out the lineup card, and he may decide to leave Diaz out in favor of Neil Walker more often if Diaz can't get something going at the plate.

Marte (hamstring) remains out of the lineup Saturday against the Dodgers.

Marte left Tuesday's game with a right hamstring cramp, and while he was able to return for the Diamondbacks' next game, he's now been on the bench for two straight. His absence Friday was said to be precautionary. Tim Locastro is starting in center field Saturday with lefty Clayton Kershaw due up for Los Angeles.

McNeil is not in the lineup Saturday against the Phillies, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

McNeil has started five of six games since returning from the injured list earlier in the month, going 5-for-23 with a home run and two doubles during that stretch. He'll give way to Juan Lagares in the outfield against lefty Jason Vargas on Saturday.

Dubon will make his debut at shortstop Saturday against the Padres, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Dubon has started consecutive games at the keystone -- the position he will be stationed at primarily down the stretch -- but the natural shortstop will spell Brandon Crawford against a southpaw Saturday. The 25-year-old has gone 1-for-7 in his first two starts in San Francisco, but his power/speed combo (20 homers and 10 steals in the minors this year) makes him an intriguing fantasy middle infielder as long as he retains regular playing time.

Albies went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI in Friday's 10-7 win over the White Sox.

The second baseman has been having a rough month. This was Albies' first multi-hit performance since Aug. 10, and he slashed just .138/.222/.246 in 16 games between those efforts. Given how streaky he is -- he slashed .403/.442/.750 in the 16 games prior to his slump -- Friday's breakout could be a sign Albies is gearing up for a big September, however.

Rojas went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, a walk and another run scored in Friday's win over the Dodgers.

Rojas drilled his first major-league home run with a two-run shot off Casey Sadler in the seventh inning to tie the game at 4-4. Over 14 games, Rojas is batting .205/.295/.308 and should continue to see playing time against right-handed pitchers.