MLB Player News

Espinosa went 1-for-3 with a solo homer Sunday at the Padres.

Espinosa's 12th bomb of the season pulled the Nationals to within one run in the fifth inning of a game they'd go on to lose. He's now launched seven homers over his last 17 games, and he's slugging .403 on the season.

Drury was optioned to Triple-A Reno following Sunday's victory over the Phillies.

Drury was actually awarded the start Sunday, going 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in the effort. He had been losing playing time of late due to the promotion of Peter O'Brien, however, so he had likely been next in line for a demotion if a roster spot was needed. The Diamondbacks have yet to announce a corresponding move, though it will likely come Monday when they activate projected starter Shelby Miller.

Solarte (thumb) is back in the lineup Sunday against the Nationals.

Solarte was held out of Saturday's game due to soreness resulting from a bruised thumb, but it sounds as if the discomfort hasn't lingered into the afternoon contest Sunday. He'll bat cleanup in the order and draw the start at third base.

Solarte's absence from Saturday's lineup was related to his ongoing bruised-thumb soreness, the Associated Press reports. He was healthy enough to pinch hit in the eighth inning.

Solarte's two-run single in the eighth - an opposite-field blooper that found the turf - was a key hit as the Padres rallied for a 7-3 victory over Washington. He remains day-to-day for the moment.

Solarte is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Nationals.

The Padres will plug the left-handed Brett Wallace in at third base in place of Solarte on Saturday as they face Washington righty Max Scherzer. After a scorching start to the month of June, Solarte has cooled off considerably, slashing just .036/.129/.071 over his last 28 at-bats.

Beckham (hamstring) should return to the Braves no later than June 23, when the club begins their series with the Mets, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.

Beckham has begun "ramping up" his running, which is a good sign moving forward. He was placed on the 15-day DL on June 2 after exiting a game with a hamstring strain, but seems to be progressing at a normal pace. In his absence, the Braves have mostly gone with Adonis Garcia at third base.

Drury has been sitting more often following the promotion of Peter O'Brien, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

The Diamondbacks are trying to get O'Brien's bat into the lineup, and that's come at the expense of Drury. In the five days since O'Brien's promotion, Drury has sat four times, and he's sat six times in the last eight games. He is, however, starting at third base and batting second Wednesday against lefty Clayton Kershaw.

Torres, 19, is batting .247/.332/.419 with seven home runs, 23 RBI and 11 steals through 60 games for High-A Myrtle Beach.

The batting average is not ideal, though Torres will not turn 20 years of age until after the season, and he has already crushed his previous career high in home runs. His upside remains high, though he will not see the majors until 2018 at the earliest.

Albies, 19, is batting .239/.285/.365 with two home runs, 17 RBI and six steals through 41 games since being promoted to Triple-A.

The numbers look rather pedestrian, but Albies has been better of late, hitting .263 with three steals over the last 10 games. Albies does have Dansby Swanson nipping at his heels at Double-A, though Swanson has not been scalding the ball of late either. The Braves appear in no rush to promote either prospect to the bigs.

Espinosa went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, an RBI and a run against the Cubs on Monday.

Espinosa has been raking of late, reaching base 11 times while scoring eight runs over the last five games despite hitting in the bottom third of the Nationals order for the entirety of that stretch. Enjoy the hot streak while it lasts, but know that the middle infielder is unlikely to continue producing at this rate.