MLB Player News

The Nationals optioned Alu to Triple-A Rochester on Monday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

After being called up from Rochester last Monday, Alu received three starts in left field during a five-game stretch, going a collective 1-for-9 with a walk and a stolen base. However, with lefty-hitting Corey Dickerson (calf) returning from the 10-day injured list Monday and presumably in line to reclaim a strong-side platoon role in left field, the Nationals won't have regular playing time available for Alu and will send him back to Triple-A as a result. The righty-hitting Stone Garrett remains with the Nationals and should serve as Dickerson's primary platoon mate.

Lowe went 1-for-3 with two RBI, a run scored and a walk Sunday against the Yankees.

Lowe drove in his runs on a sacrifice fly and a groundout, though he still managed only his third hit across 11 games in May. In that span, he's hit just .083 with four RBI and two runs scored. Lowe is still a regular in the Rays' lineup against right-handed pitching, though that could change due to the team's depth if his performance doesn't improve.

McNeil will start at second base and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Nationals.

The Mets are facing a lefty (Patrick Corbin) in the series finale, but the lefty-hitting McNeil usually bats fifth or sixth even against southpaws. McNeil is sporting just a .487 OPS thus far in May, so the downturn in production could explain his drop in the lineup.

Bae went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Sunday's game against Baltimore.

Bae delivered a single that drove in two in the third inning of Sunday's win. After previously slipping into a reserve role, Bae has now started three consecutive games and four of the last five at second base for Pittsburgh. Playing time has opened after Mark Mathias was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis while Tucupita Marcano has primarily played at shortstop in recent contests. Bae has only a .623 OPS across 117 plate appearances for the season, though he's relevant in category leagues thanks to his 14 stolen bases.

Westburg is slashing .321/.395/.626 with 11 home runs and four steals in 147 plate appearances for Triple-A Norfolk.

Dating back to last season, Westburg has a .286/.370/.540 slash line with 29 home runs and 13 steals in 123 games at Triple-A. The athletic 24-year-old has seen time at five different positions this year at Triple-A, so he could fill any opening at the big-league level when the Orioles are ready to start his clock.

Turang went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer in Sunday's 9-6 win over the Royals.

Turang took Jose Cuas deep to center in the third to cap off a seven-run inning by the Brewers. The long ball was his third of the year and just his first since April 17. Turang has picked it up some at the plate after he was slumping for a good majority of April. Over 11 games in May, he's slashing .313/.371/.438 with three RBI, five runs and a 3:10 BB:K. The 23-year-old has seen the majority of his starts come against right-handers while Owen Miller has primarily filled in against lefties.

Stott went 2-for-5 with a stolen base in Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Rockies.

This was Stott's second straight multi-hit effort, and he's picked up two steals over his last four games. The second baseman hit safely in 17 straight contests to begin the season, but he's cooled dramatically in May, batting .179 (7-for-39) through 10 games this month. He's still at a solid .284/.316/.370 slash line with two home runs, five steals, 12 RBI and 12 runs scored through 38 contests overall.

Kemp is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.

The lefty-hitting Kemp will take a seat with southpaw Andrew Heaney on the bump, but Kemp's opportunities to play regularly against right-handed pitching could soon take a hit as well. With Aledmys Diaz (hamstring) returning from the injured list Sunday, the Athletics have one less infield spot available in the regular lineup versus righties. Since rookie Jordan Diaz has seemingly played his way into a full-time role and because fellow veteran Jace Peterson holds a 122-point advantage in OPS for the season (.607 to .485), Kemp looks like he could find himself as the odd man out of the lineup more often than not.

Alu will start in left field and bat fifth in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader with the Mets, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Alu will start for the third time in the past five games, with all coming against right-handed pitchers. Even though he bats from the right side, Alu has ceded the last two starts against southpaws to fellow right-handed hitter Stone Garrett, so the two players could end up forming a non-traditional platoon in left field. Since his call-up from Triple-A Rochester on Monday, Alu has gone 1-for-7 with a walk and a stolen base.

Hernandez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Hernandez started the last 11 games but will receive a day off after he posted a .460 OPS during that stretch. Pablo Reyes will take over at shortstop in Sunday's series finale versus St. Louis.