MLB Player News

Castro went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs in Wednesday's win over the Twins.

Castro entered the contest with just one home run this season across 24 games, and he only had three long balls in 106 games last year, so the power outburst was definitely unexpected. The three-hit effort wasn't as rare, however, as the utility man did that as recently as May 15. Castro is now batting .301 for the season, and while the power won't always be there, he's certainly proven himself to be a capable hitter at the MLB level.

Ibanez isn't starting Wednesday against the Angels.

Ibanez has gone just 1-for-17 with a walk and four strikeouts over his last six games, and he'll take a seat for the third time in the last five matchups. Charlie Culberson will start at the hot corner and bat eighth.

McNeil was removed from Wednesday's game against the Giants due to a left knee contusion, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

McNeil made a sliding catch in left field in the bottom of the third inning Wednesday but was shaken up since he crashed into the side wall. He was initially able to remain in the game but was replaced by a pinch hitter in the top of the fourth. The 30-year-old went 0-for-1 prior to his departure and will have at least one day to recover since the Mets have a scheduled day off Thursday. If McNeil is forced to miss any additional time, Luis Guillorme should see an uptick in at-bats at second base.

The Cubs reinstated Hoerner (ankle) from the 10-day injured list Wednesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Hoerner's return to the 26-man active roster comes as somewhat of a surprise, as the expectation was that he would require a brief minor-league rehab assignment before being activated after he had been sidelined for the past two weeks with a right ankle sprain. The Cubs evidently felt encouraged enough by how Hoerner looked in a full workout earlier this week to activate him, but the 25-year-old may have to settle for a utility role now that he's ostensibly healthy again. Hoerner will be on the bench for Wednesday's game against the Reds, as the hot-hitting Christopher Morel gets a look at second base while the defensive-minded Andrelton Simmons mans shortstop.

Estrada will start at second base and bat fifth in Wednesday's game against the Mets, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Tommy La Stella's return from the injured list last week looked as though it would cost Estrada an everyday role, but that has yet to come to fruition. In fact, Estrada will make his ninth consecutive start Sunday, all of which have come at second base while La Stella has served exclusively as a designated hitter or third baseman since being activated. Estrada has done his part to ensure that La Stella nor anyone else encroaches on his role, as he's slashed .414/.469/.517 over his previous eight starts.

Andrus went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs in a win over the Mariners on Tuesday.

Both of the veteran's hits actually culminated with runs crossing the plate for the Athletics, but his seventh-inning single, which resulted in Sean Murphy scoring the go-ahead run, came as a result of Jesse Winker's error in left field. Andrus' season line is still a lackluster .227/.303/.328, yet he boasts a .316 average and .828 OPS across his last 13 games.

Kemp is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

With southpaw Robbie Ray on the hill for Seattle, the lefty-hitting Kemp will take a seat for the series finale after going 3-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and three runs out of the leadoff spot in Tuesday's win. Sheldon Neuse will spell Kemp at the keystone in Wednesday's matinee.

Garcia sustained a wrist injury Tuesday while playing for Triple-A Rochester, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

He exited the game after colliding with the opposing first baseman and is out of Wednesday's lineup. It's unclear how serious the injury is, but it seemed a call-up for Garcia was imminent, as he was hitting .331/.387/.576 with eight home runs in 37 games.

McNeil went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and two runs in Tuesday's 13-12 loss to the Giants.

Coming off a 2021 campaign in which he hit a disappointing .251, McNeil's contact-heavy approach is bearing more fruit in 2022. Wednesday marked his second multi-hit performance of the series and his 17th of the season. McNeil's 23-homer campaign in 2019 continues to look like a major outlier, but with the exception of 2021, the 30-year-old has shown that he's one of the more bankable contributors in the batting-average category throughout his career.

Manager Rocco Baldelli said Wednesday that Polanco is dealing with some slight soreness in his right ankle, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

The 28-year-old is out of the lineup for a second consecutive game Wednesday against the Tigers, and his absence is related to an ankle issue. However, Baldelli said the team isn't concerned about Polanco's injury and is hopeful the second baseman will be fine after spending a few days off the field.