MLB Player News
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Ketel Marte 2B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte: Back in action Monday
Marte (ankle) will start at second base and bat second in Monday's game against the Rockies.
Marte exited Saturday's 11-1 win over the Phillies with a left ankle contusion, but he needed just one day of rest to move past the issue and take back his usual spot at the keystone. The 30-year-old has been one of the driving forces behind Arizona's surge up the National League standings in the second half, as he enters Monday's contest having slashed .329/.407/.795 with 11 home runs over the club's 22 games since the All-Star break.
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Jamie Westbrook 2B | TB
Red Sox's Jamie Westbrook: Loses 40-man roster spot
The Red Sox designated Westbrook for assignment Monday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Westbrook is the 40-man roster casualty with the Red Sox needing to clear some space in advance of Monday's game against the Rangers. The 29-year-old utility player went just 6-for-40 at the plate during his time with the Red Sox before being sent back to Triple-A Worcester on July 31.
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Curtis Mead 3B | CHW
Rays' Curtis Mead: Playing time trending upward
Mead will start at designated hitter and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Astros, Steve Carney of StPeteNine.com reports.
After picking up starts in four of the Rays' last five matchups with right-handed pitching, the righty-hitting Mead will stick in the lineup Monday while the Astros send southpaw Framber Valdez to the hill. Though he appears to be challenging Taylor Walls for a regular spot in the Tampa Bay infield, Mead will likely need to show better production at the plate before he fully displaces Walls. Through his first six games in August, Mead has gone just 2-for-18 with no extra-base hits and one walk.
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Brandon Lowe 2B | PIT
Rays' Brandon Lowe: Taking seat Monday
Lowe is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros, Steve Carney of StPeteNine.com reports.
After going 3-for-21 at the dish over his last five starts, Lowe will take a seat for the first time since July 26 while the Astros send southpaw Framber Valdez to the hill. The Rays will counter with a right-handed-heavy lineup featuring Curtis Mead at designated hitter in place of the lefty-hitting Lowe.
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Michael Massey 2B | KC
Royals' Michael Massey: Back in lineup
Massey (back) will start at designated hitter and bat leadoff in Monday's game versus the Twins.
Massey was scratched from the lineup ahead of Saturday's 8-3 win over the Cardinals due to back tightness. His back has often been an issue for him this season, but Massey is feeling well enough after a scheduled team off day Sunday to give it a go in the series opener in Minnesota.
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Nolan Gorman 2B | STL
Cardinals' Nolan Gorman: Back on bench vs. lefty
Gorman is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds.
The lefty-hitting Gorman had started in each of the Cardinals' last five games, but he'll head back to the bench Monday with the Reds sending southpaw Andrew Abbott to the hill. The Cardinals should continue to frequently shield Gorman from lefties, but after he went 5-for-14 with two doubles over his last four starts, the 24-year-old might have recaptured at least a part-time role against right-handed pitching.
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Jorge Polanco 2B | NYM
Mariners' Jorge Polanco: Goes deep Sunday
Polanco went 3-for-5 with a solo homer, a double and two runs scored in Sunday's win over the Mets.
Polanco opened up the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning off Luis Severino. He later doubled and scored in the sixth and singled in the eighth for his second three-hit effort of the season. Coming into Sunday, Polanco had just three hits in 22 at-bats this month while striking out eight times over that span. He's currently striking out at a 31.1 percent clip, which would be the highest mark of his career and the first time he's ever had a strikeout rate north of 30 percent. It's been a struggle for Polanco in his first year in Seattle, as he's slashing .211/.292/.352 with 11 homers, 30 RBI, 31 runs, three steals and a 30:99 BB:K in 318 plate appearances.
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Jeff McNeil 2B | ATH
Mets' Jeff McNeil: Provides lone run in loss
McNeil went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Mariners.
McNeil gave the Mets their only run in Sunday's blowout loss with a sixth inning homer off Luis Castillo. It's his second home run this month and his seventh since the beginning of July after he hit just one home run in June. McNeil has been hitting the ball much better lately compared to the season as a whole. Since July 19, he's slashing .324/.358/.662 with six homers, 14 RBI and 16 runs. He's up to 11 home runs on the year, which is the most he's had in a season since putting up 23 in 2019. For the year, the 32-year-old is slashing .238/.293/.384 with 38 RBI, 51 runs, five steals and a 25:52 BB:K in 404 plate appearances.
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Tommy Edman 2B | LAD
Dodgers' Tommy Edman: Eyeing debut for next homestand
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Sunday in an interview with Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that he expects Edman (wrist) to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list during the Dodgers' next homestand, which begins Aug. 19.
On the shelf all season while recovering from right wrist surgery in addition to being slowed down by a sprained ankle during his rehab program, Edman appeared in eight games as a designated hitter for the Cardinals' Double-A affiliate before he was traded to the Dodgers on July 29. Edman had taken part in workouts and simulated games in front of the Dodgers' coaching staff in the week and a half after his acquisition before he resumed his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday, when he started in center field and went 1-for-3 with a run scored while playing six innings. According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Edman would play primarily in center field during his rehab assignment, but the 29-year-old is also likely to get some exposure to the infield while with Oklahoma City. Edman may not unseat Andy Pages as the primary option in center field once activated, but he should find a regular spot in the lineup somewhere in the infield or outfield when the Dodgers face left-handed pitching.