MLB Player News

Espinal is not in the starting lineup Sunday versus the Red Sox.

Espinal will get a breather Sunday after he went 3-for-10 with three RBI and five runs scored in the first two contests of the series. Cavan Biggio will start at second base and bat sixth in the series finale.

Lopez is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale versus the Rays.

Lopez will get a day off after he went 4-for-8 with two runs scored and a stolen base in the first two games of the series. Emmanuel Rivera will take over at the hot corner and bat seventh against Tampa Bay.

Hoerner went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and two total runs scored in Saturday's 6-2 victory over Philadelphia.

Hoerner led off the scoring Saturday with a solo shot that gave the Cubs an early lead. He came around to score again in the extra inning on a Frank Schwindel grounder. The homer was Hoerner's second of the month and sixth of the season. The shortstop has five hits in his last three games and has gone hitless just four times in 18 games this month. He is slashing .282/.320/.437 in July and possesses a .303 batting average on the season.

Rosario went 3-for-9 with a triple, three RBI, a run scored and a stolen base across both games of Saturday's doubleheader versus the White Sox.

Rosario did most of his work with a pair of singles, a steal and a run in the first game, though he added an RBI triple in the nightcap. The shortstop has nine multi-hit efforts in his last 20 games, batting .325 (25-for-77) in that span. For the season, he's slashing .295/.333/.412 with four home runs, 10 steals, 33 RBI, 54 runs scored, six triples and 17 doubles through 87 contests.

Merrifield went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Rays.

Merrifield provided a two-run double in the third inning, but he was thrown out trying to steal third to end the frame. He returned from a toe injury Friday and went 0-for-4, and Saturday's performance was far more impressive. Merrifield has now hit sixth in his last two games, with MJ Melendez instead batting leadoff, though neither of them have sustained a solid batting average this year. Merrifield is up to a .243/.294/.347 slash line with five home runs, 14 stolen bases in 17 attempts, 38 RBI and 45 runs scored through 381 plate appearances.

Short was optioned to Triple-A Toledo after Saturday's loss to the Twins, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Shorts was optioned to make room for Rony Garcia (shoulder) to return from 15-day injured list to start Sunday. After being called up Thursday, the 27-year-old went 0-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in his only appearance in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader versus the Athletics.

Kemp isn't starting Saturday against the Rangers.

Kemp started the last two games and went 1-for-7 with an RBI and a walk. Chad Pinder will take his place in left field and bat fifth.

Kim was added to the lineup for Saturday's game against the Mets, Bob Scanlan of Bally Sports San Diego reports.

Kim was initially slated to be out of the lineup for a third consecutive game, but he'll start at shortstop and bat ninth after CJ Abrams (undisclosed) was scratched. Over his last seven games, Kim has hit .333 with three doubles, four RBI, two runs and a stolen base.

Garcia isn't starting Saturday against the Diamondbacks.

Garcia has seen most of his playing time against right-handed pitchers this year, and he'll get a breather with southpaw Madison Bumgarner starting Saturday. Ehire Adrianza is starting at shortstop and batting seventh.

Kim isn't starting Saturday against the Mets.

Kim started five of the six games leading up to the All-Star break, but he'll now take a seat for a third consecutive matchup. CJ Abrams is starting at shortstop and batting ninth.