MLB Player News

Clement will start at shortstop and bat seventh Thursday against the Astros.

The 25-year-old will remain in the starting nine for the fourth time in five games, and he looks like he could be the main beneficiary of extra opportunities following Josh Naylor's (ankle) recent placement on the injured list. Clement has gone 3-for-11 with four runs over his previous three starts.

Biggio isn't starting Thursday's game against the Mariners.

Biggio will get a breather after he went 5-for-11 with two doubles, four RBI, two walks and three strikeouts across the last three games. Santiago Espinal will start at third base and bat eighth.

Albies went 5-for-6 with a pair of home runs, a stolen base, seven RBI and two additional runs in Wednesday's 20-2 win over the Mets.

After driving in only six runs over the previous 11 games for a struggling Atlanta offense, Albies was at the center of the team's offensive eruption Wednesday. The five-hit day was the first of Albies' career, and helped him improve his OPS to .857 on the season. That's five points better than the career-best mark he posted in 2019.

Andrus went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Rangers.

Andrus notched a pair of singles in this one and ended up stealing third for his seventh stolen base of the year. The 32-year-old has hit safely in seven of his last eight games and has swiped a bag in two of his last three. Andrus isn't the same runner he was during his 12-year tenure with the Rangers during which he notched at least 20 steals 10 times. His decreased ability to steal certainly hurts his value due to the fact that his hitting averages are down in comparison to the rest of his career. Andrus is currently slashing .230/.271/.298, which is on pace to be the lowest line of his career outside of last season when he only played in 29 games.

Castro went 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, two runs and three RBI in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader sweep versus Cleveland.

The second baseman registered his sixth three-hit performance of the campaign in the Game 1 win, and it was his first such effort since he collected three hits in consecutive games May 18 and 19. Castro played in 17 contests overall in June, struggling to a .146/.226/.250 slash line, one homer and six RBI.

Urias went 4-for-5 with a pair of home runs, four RBI and three runs scored Wednesday against the Cubs.

Urias destroyed Chicago pitching out of the leadoff spot, blasting a two-run homer in the first inning and a solo shot in the sixth. He added a double and single for his first four-hit performance of the season. After showing very little offensively in his first three big-league campaigns, Urias has broken out in 2021 with a .247/.338/.433 slash line to go with 10 home runs and 39 RBI. He's also swiped three bases in three attempts. Urias racked up an .875 OPS across 102 at-bats during the month of June.

Kemp is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Rangers, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Kemp started the past four games, including two against lefties, but he'll head to the bench Wednesday after going 1-for-13 during that stretch. Chad Pinder will work in left field against Texas left-hander Kolby Allard.

Polanco isn't starting Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

Polanco will get a rare day off after he went 4-for-18 with a double, three runs, an RBI, a stolen base and four walks across his last five games. Luis Arraez will start at second base and lead off.

Mendick isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Twins.

Mendick went 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI in Tuesday's win, but he'll take a seat for the third time in four games. Leury Garcia will start at second base and bat ninth, and at this point, he may have established himself as the preferred option at the keystone ahead of Mendick.

Guillorme will start at third base and bat eighth Wednesday in Atlanta.

Jonathan Villar hasn't played since June 21 with a calf strain that ultimately resulted in him landing on the injured list, paving the way for Guillorme to take over as the Mets' primary option at the hot corner. Guillorme will draw his ninth straight start at the position after going 6-for-23 with a 5:2 BB:K across his previous eight contests. With Villar and J.D. Davis (hand) both set to begin minor-league rehab assignments at Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday, Guillorme's time as an everyday player should soon come to an end.