MLB Player News

Albies went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Saturday's 9-5 win over the Mets.

The 22-year-old hadn't gone deep since Aug. 9, and Albies hit only .160 (8-for-50) during his 12-game power outage. On the year, the second baseman is slashing .287/.342/.486 with 19 homers, 13 steals, 69 RBI and 81 runs through 130 games.

McNeil (hamstring) will play at second and third base as well as the outfield, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

McNeil was activated prior to Saturday's contest but is not in the starting lineup. However, he will almost certainly play every day moving forward, though the position could change frequently. Manager Mickey Callaway also said he wasn't sure where he'd bat McNeil, though he has led off for the majority of the season.

McNeil (hamstring) will be active for Saturday's game against the Braves, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

While McNeil is not in the lineup Saturday, he will be available off the bench. Aaron Altherr was designated for assignment to clear room on the roster. One of nine qualified hitters with an OBP of .400 or better, McNeil should be atop the order close to every day down the stretch.

McNeil (hamstring) is with the team at Citi Field, but the Mets still haven't decided whether to activate him Saturday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

McNeil is not in the lineup, so if he is activated Saturday, he will be on the bench for his first game back on the active roster. The 27-year-old recently made a brief stop at short-season Brooklyn, going 1-for-4 while playing seven innings in the field during his lone rehab appearance. He should be back leading off for the Mets in short order.

Kemp is starting at second base and batting eighth Saturday against the Nationals.

Kemp is in the lineup for the second consecutive day and has drawn a start in four of the team's past six contests. However, he's done little with the extra opportunity, going just 1-for-10 at the dish.

The Mets are unsure if they will activate McNeil (hamstring) on Saturday, when he is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list, Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News reports.

He will play seven innings for short-season Brooklyn on Friday, getting time at third base and in the outfield. It sounds like McNeil could come off the injured list any day after Friday, depending on how his hamstring responds. The fact he is going to play some third base suggests he could displace Todd Frazier at the hot corner when activated.

Frazier went 1-for-4 with a solo shot, his seventh homer of the season, in Thursday's 7-1 loss to the Nationals.

Since boosting his batting average to .287 at the All-Star break, Frazier has slashed .205/.281/.320 with three home runs and no stolen bases in 135 plate appearances. Interestingly, he's gone 5-for-13 with three doubles and a homer in his career against Max Scherzer. Unfortunately, his struggles continue against the rest of the league.

McNeil (hamstring) will start a rehab assignment Thursday with Triple-A Syracuse, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

He will play around six innings while seeing time in the outfield corners. This is expected to be a brief rehab assignment, as McNeil could still be activated this weekend.

Marte went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Wednesday against the Rockies.

Marte took Tim Melville deep in the sixth inning for his 27th homer of the season. He's in the midst of a five-game hit streak, but more impressively, he has at least one hit in 14 of 16 games in August. That's helped him maintain his strong results, as he's now slashing .319/.381/.571 across 538 plate appearances for the season.

Hernandez is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Blue Jays, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

He started in his first game off the injured list Tuesday against a righty, but he will head to the bench against a righty (Wilmer Font opening, Zack Godley primary reliever) in this one. As the Dodgers continue to get healthy and inevitably add reinforcements in September, Hernandez will likely start around half the games down the stretch. He will start against most lefties and against some righties. Matt Beaty is starting in left field and hitting eighth.