MLB Player News

Rodriguez is not in Saturday's lineup against the Orioles.

He is hitting just .100 with 11 strikeouts in 30 at-bats this month. Harold Castro is starting at second base and batting second.

Biggio is not in Saturday's lineup against the Yankees, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

He is hitting .290/.450/.516 with one home run and two steals in nine games this month. Brandon Drury gets the start at second base and will hit seventh.

Frazier will bat fifth and start at second base Saturday against the Cubs.

Due in part to injuries to Starling Marte and Josh Bell, Frazier will hit fifth for the first time in 2019 and third time in his career. He has four hits, including a double and a homer, in 10 career at-bats against starter Kyle Hendricks. Since Aug. 20, the second baseman is slashing .373/.409/.614 in 90 plate appearances.

Hoerner went 2-for-5 with a walk, a two-run home run, two runs scored and four total RBI in Friday's 18-7 win over the Pirates.

Hoerner connected off Pittsburgh starter Steven Brault in the first inning for his first career MLB home run. The 22-year-old shortstop, who is one of the top prospects in the Cubs' system, has shined since his MLB debut Monday. In five games, he's slashing .350/.435/.600, and with Javier Baez (thumb) and Addison Russell (head) both out, Hoerner should continue to see regular playing time.

Mendick went 2-for-5 with an RBI in Friday's 9-7 win over the Mariners.

Mendick, who got the start at second base for the resting Yolmer Sanchez, has seven hits in 21 at-bats while getting spotty playing time since being added to the roster for the month of September. The 25-year-old infielder will fill in at three infield spots whenever manager Rick Renteria wants to give Sanchez, shortstop Tim Anderson or third baseman Yoan Moncada a day off.

Albies went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk during a 5-0 victory against the Nationals on Friday.

The second baseman remains five steals away from a 20/20 season, but he has gone deep four times in his last eight games, including each of the past two contests. He needs two more long balls to tie his mark in the category from last year, but Albies has already matched his total of 70 extra-bases. He is batting .293 with 23 home runs, 79 RBI, 95 runs and 15 steals in 593 at-bats this year.

Lux went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and two runs scored Friday night against the Mets.

Lux delivered a three-run blast in the fourth inning, putting his team ahead in the early going. The 21-year-old shortstop is now 9-for-33 with two homers, five RBI and a stolen base over his first 10 big-league contests.

Lowe (quadriceps) is expected to be sent to the instructional league Tuesday to see more at-bats, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Lowe felt some fatigue in his leg during Thursday's sim game, but assuming everything goes as planned over the next few days, he'll head to the instructional league Tuesday with the hope of returning to the big leagues before the regular season comes to an end. It's unknown how many at-bats he'll need to see before being activated from the 60-day injured list.

Polanco (mouth) is starting at shortstop and batting third Friday against the Indians, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Polaco was held out of Thursday's action due to a dental issue, but he's been cleared to return for Friday's series opener. He's batting .268 with a home run, six RBI and 10 strikeouts over his last 10 matchups.

Forsythe (intercostal) will remain on the bench Friday against the Athletics.

Forsythe will sit for the fourth straight game while dealing with a left intercostal strain. He hasn't appeared off the bench in any of the previous three contests.