MLB Player News

Villar is starting at third base and hitting sixth Thursday against the Brewers, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Villar was not originally in the lineup but will draw his 11th consecutive start after Wilmer Flores (calf) was scratched. Villar has maintained a .258/.385/.452 line across 39 plate appearances this season.

McNeil (personal) was reinstated from the paternity list Thursday and will start in left field and bat fifth in his return to the lineup for the Mets' series finale with the Cubs.

McNeil rejoined the Mets in Chicago after he missed the entire three-game series in Atlanta while observing the birth of his child. Though he'll be filling in for a resting Mark Canha in Thursday's contest, McNeil is expected to see most of his opportunities at second base moving forward, especially with Starling Marte (groin) back in the lineup in right field following a four-game absence.

Frazier isn't starting Thursday's game against the Rangers.

Frazier recorded hits in six of the last seven games and hit .346 with a homer, three runs, two RBI and a stolen base across that span. Dylan Moore is shifting to second base while Sam Haggerty starts in right field Thursday.

Gorman is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Dodgers, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Gorman started the past seven games and will head to the bench after posting a .154/.241/.308 slash line with a 34.5 percent strikeout rate during that stretch. Brendan Donovan, who's been out the past few days with a non-COVID illness, will start at the keystone and bat eighth.

Donovan (illness) is starting at second base and batting eighth Thursday versus the Dodgers, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Donovan has been held out since Saturday due to a non-COVID-19 illness, but he'll return to the starting nine for Thursday's series finale. The 25-year-old has struggled through nine games in July, going 5-for-32 with three walks.

The Royals selected Massey's contract from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.

Massey will be one of the initial eight minor leaguers that joins the Royals on Thursday after 10 players on the 26-man active roster weren't eligible to make the trip to Toronto for the four-game series with the Blue Jays due to their vaccination statuses. A 2019 fourth-round pick, Massey arrives in the big leagues for the first time after producing an excellent .317/.373/.535 slash line between stops at Omaha and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. The 24-year-old's only defensive experience in the minors comes at second base and third base, so he'll likely serve as the primary backup at those positions to Nicky Lopez and Emmanuel Rivera, respectively, during his stay in the majors.

The Royals placed Merrifield (toe) on the restricted list Thursday.

Merrifield saw his streak of 553 consecutive games played come to an end Monday, when he wasn't available for Game 1 of the Royals' doubleheader with the Tigers due to swelling and a bone bruise to a ligament in his right big toe. He proceeded to miss the remaining three games of the series with Detroit and wasn't expected to be available before the All-Star break, but the Royals likely chose to forgo placing him on the injured list knowing that he would land on the restricted list Thursday. Since he's unvaccinated and therefore ineligible to cross the Canadian border, Merrifield won't accompany the Royals to Toronto even though he wasn't on track to play anyway. He'll be reinstated from the restricted list coming out of the All-Star break, at which point he could revert to the IL if he needs more time to recover from the toe injury.

Miller is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers.

Miller had started the past three games and should have a regular spot in the lineup versus left-handed pitching moving forward. However, his opportunities to play against right-handed pitchers like Detroit's Elvin Rodriguez could become more sporadic now that the lefty-hitting Josh Naylor is healthy again after a recent multi-game absence due to a back injury.

McNeil (personal) will be activated from the paternity list ahead of Thursday's matchup with the Cubs, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

McNeil will return to action after missing three contests while observing the birth of his son. Since the beginning of July, the 30-year-old has struggled to a .219 average with two doubles, two RBI and five runs, but he'll look to turn that around in the Mets' final series ahead of the All-Star break as they take on the Cubs in a four-game set.

Frazier went 4-for-7 with a home run, two RBI and a stolen base across both games of Wednesday's doubleheader sweep of the Nationals.

After taking Josiah Gray deep for a solo shot in the fourth inning of the matinee, Frazier added a second-inning steal and a sixth-inning sacrifice fly in the nightcap. The utility player is on a roll at the plate, collecting multiple hits in three of his last five games and batting .280 (14-for-50) over his last 15 contests. However, on the season Frazier still carries a sluggish .229/.291/.304 slash line with three homers, three stolen bases, 23 RBI and 34 runs through 87 games.