MLB Player News

Donovan is not in the starting lineup Thursday at San Francisco.

Tommy Edman will play second base and bat ninth with Paul DeJong taking a turn at shortstop and hitting sixth. Donovan has fallen into a bit of a slump but should remain a key piece of the Cardinals' offensive and defensive blueprint.

Caballero is starting at second base and batting eighth for the Mariners on Thursday against the Phillies, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.

The 26-year-old has been serving on the short side of a platoon at second base with Kolten Wong of late. Caballero will go up against left-hander Matt Strahm in the series finale at Philadelphia.

Ortiz was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk by the Orioles on Thursday, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Ortiz finished strong at Norfolk last season, and it has carried over into 2023 with a .359/.389/.500 slash line. The 24-year-old is a strong defender and has experience at all infield positions other than first base. While a good prospect, Ortiz might not play enough to provide much fantasy value in his first taste of the big leagues.

Bae went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, one RBI and three stolen bases in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Dodgers.

The Pirates showed no mercy to Los Angeles catcher Austin Wynns, going a combined 6-for-6 on steal attempts, but Bae was the star of the track meet. The 23-year-old has five pilfers in the last two games against the Dodgers and is now 10-for-11 on the basepaths in 2023, tying him for second in the majors in steals behind Ronald Acuna's 13.

Merrifield went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a steal in Wednesday's win over the White Sox.

Merrifield saw his 10-game hitting streak end Tuesday but got back on track Wednesday, hitting a pair of singles and swiping his fourth bag in a win over the White Sox. The 34-year-old Merrifield has gotten off to a fast start this year following a down 2022 season. He's now slashing .313/.377/.403 with 10 RBI and nine runs scored through 77 plate appearances.

Vargas is absent from the Dodgers' lineup for Thursday's game in Pittsburgh, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Mookie Betts will handle second base. Vargas is getting on base at a .372 clip thanks to 16 walks, but a .681 OPS and zero home runs have left something to be desired, although he did steal his first bag of the season Wednesday.

Arroyo (hamstring) went 0-for-2 in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to Baltimore.

Arroyo, who nursed a hamstring injury and was held out of the starting lineup, entered the game as a pinch hitter for starting second baseman Enmanuel Valdez and stayed in the game at the keystone. The Red Sox are off Thursday, and Arroyo is expected to be available Friday when Boston kicks off a three-game set at Fenway Park versus the Guardians.

Estrada went 3-for-5 with a double, a run and a stolen base in Wednesday's 7-3 victory over St. Louis.

Estrada has been a catalyst on offense all season for San Francisco, and Wednesday was no different. He reached base three times and recorded his ninth multi-hit effort through 23 games thus far. Estrada is slashing an impressive .326/.374/.511 with four homers, seven RBI and seven thefts through 99 plate appearances.

Drury went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, two runs and three RBI in an 11-3 rout of the Athletics on Wednesday.

Drury put the Angels on the board with his run-scoring double to right field in the second inning, and he smacked a two-run blast to center in the fifth. The infielder was slashing a miserable .179/.208/.269 coming into the series against Oakland, but he's boosted that line to .238/.267/.463 over the past three games. During that span, Drury has gone 7-for-13 with three homers, six runs and nine RBI.

Hoerner went 1-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base in a loss to the Padres on Wednesday.

Hoerner gave the Cubs a one-run lead with an RBI single in the fifth inning, but that was the final run the team was able to score. The second baseman also continued his solid season on the basepaths, recording his 10th steal -- tied for second-most in the league. Through 23 games, Hoerner is already halfway to the career-high total of 20 thefts that he registered over 135 contests last season.