MLB Player News

Villar is on the bench Wednesday versus the Nationals, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Villar has now been out of the lineup for eight of the last 11 games, as he seems to have lost a hold on a regular role following a .570 OPS in his first 28 contests. With Brandon Crawford (calf) due back soon, Villar's roster spot might be in jeopardy.

Estrada is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Nationals, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Estrada had been the team's everyday shortstop since Brandon Crawford (calf) got hurt, but newcomer Casey Schmitt is making a second straight start there Wednesday. While Estrada played second base Tuesday, he'll be on the bench for this one while Brett Wisely handles second.

Bae is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

After he had been out of the lineup for three straight games due to an ankle injury, Bae checked back into the starting nine for Tuesday's 10-1 loss and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. He didn't experience any reported setbacks coming out of the contest, but Bae will hit the bench Wednesday in any case while the Pirates and Rockies wrap up their series with a day game. Tucupita Marcano replaces Bae as the Bucs' second baseman.

Turang will sit Wednesday against the Dodgers.

With left-hander Clayton Kershaw on the mound for the Dodgers, Turang will head to the bench. The 23-year-old saw his six-game hit streak end in Tuesday's loss, but since the beginning of May he's raised his batting average from .213 to .245 on the season. In Turang's place, Owen Miller will draw the start at second base and bat leadoff in the series finale with Los Angeles.

Gimenez is not in the starting lineup Wednesday versus the Tigers.

Gimenez will take a seat after he went 1-for-7 with a strikeout over the first two games of the series. The second baseman has struggled at the plate this season overall, but since the beginning of May, he's gone 2-for-27 with two RBI and zero runs scored over eight games. Tyler Freeman will take over at second base and bat sixth in the series finale with Detroit.

Castro is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

The lefty-hitting Castro will head to the bench for the series finale while Pittsburgh brings southpaw Rich Hill to the mound. Platoon mate Alan Trejo will step in for Castro at second base.

Gorman went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Cubs.

Gorman made an early impact with his first-inning solo shot off Jameson Taillon. Prior to Tuesday, Gorman had gone 3-for-16 (.188) across six games in May. The infielder is up to eight homers, 24 RBI, 11 runs scored and three stolen bases while slashing .255/.346/.518 through 33 contests. The Cardinals are primarily using Willson Contreras at designated hitter now, thrusting Gorman into a middle-infield battle for playing time with the likes of Tommy Edman, Paul DeJong and Brendan Donovan. Gorman should remain in the lineup against right-handed pitchers for the foreseeable future.

Castro went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk Tuesday against the Pirates.

Castro started at second base for the sixth time in the last nine games, sending Alan Trejo to the bench. He's hit well in that span by collecting eight hits in 20 at-bats while also tallying four RBI and four runs scored. Unless the Rockies opt to move Ryan McMahon back to second base, there aren't many obvious options to move Castro out of the lineup, so he could see regular at-bats moving forward.

Bae went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts Tuesday against the Rockies.

Bae returned from a three-game absence caused by an ankle injury Tuesday to start at second base. He's now hitless across his last 11 at-bats and has maintained only a .232 average for the season across 105 plate appearances. His playing time will be worth monitoring moving forward after the team demoted Mark Mathias to Triple-A Indianapolis Monday, potentially opening the door for Bae to play regularly at second base.

Estrada went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and two runs scored in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Nationals.

Estrada extended his hitting streak to seven games, a span in which he's gone 10-for-28 (.357) with two home runs and two steals. The infielder has had an enticing mix of power, speed and contact hitting throughout the early portion of the 2023 season. He's up to 10 steals, six homers and a .338/.388/.522 slash line through 34 contests.