MLB Player News

Sano went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 5-0 victory against Detroit on Thursday.

Sano got a second straight start and put the Angels on the board in the first inning with a solo shot to center field. On a less positive note, the veteran slugger struck out in his other three at-bats, and he's fanned five times over nine plate appearances since returning from the injured list June 25. Sano's big-league resume suggests he can offer the Angels plenty of pop, but his 40 percent strikeout rate on the campaign highlights his primary weakness as a hitter.

Rengifo went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Thursday's win over the Tigers.

Rengifo increased the Angels' lead to five runs with a two-out, two-run blast in the bottom of the fifth inning, giving the second baseman his first long ball since May 24. The performance marked his eighth multi-hit performance this month and the third in his four contests, raising his season batting average to .312. The home run was Rengifo's fifth of the campaign.

LeMahieu is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest in Toronto.

LeMahieu is still without an extra-base hit this season and has tallied just one single across his last five games. Oswaldo Cabrera will occupy third base for the Yankees in their series opener versus the Blue Jays.

Urias isn't in the Orioles' lineup for Thursday's game against the Rangers, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

After making three straight starts at third base, Urias has now been absent from the Orioles' last three starting lineups. Jordan Westburg will move to the hot corner Thursday while Jorge Mateo starts at the keystone and bats ninth.

Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs in a loss to the Angels on Wednesday.

Fresh off a three-hit night Tuesday, Alvarez drew a second consecutive start and continued contributing in small-ball fashion Wednesday. The 29-year-old rookie's stolen base was a nice bonus, as he's not been very prolific in that category throughout his long minor-league career (28-for-42 across 709 games). Alvarez's encouraging play could continue to allow him to carve out semi-regular playing time around the infield for the time being, with Abraham Toro's (hamstring) recent placement on the IL being the primary catalyst for the former's long-awaited arrival in the big leagues.

Wendzel started at third base and went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to Milwaukee.

With Corey Seager resting, Josh Smith started at shortstop, opening up third base for Wendzel. Prior to Wednesday, that used to mean Ezequiel Duran would play the hot corner, but the Rangers optioned the underperforming Duran to Triple-A Round Rock amid a mini roster shakeup. Wendzel is 6-for-40 with a home run, two doubles and two RBI over 23 games this season. Eventually, Josh Jung (wrist) will return to solidify third base.

Miranda went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI in Wednesday's win over the Diamondbacks while also drawing a walk.

Miranda kicked off the scoring for Minnesota with a three-run double in the second and went on to reach base four times in the contest -- which he's now done twice in his last three games. It marked the third time that the third baseman has driven in three runs and logged multiple hits over his last five contests, increasing his average to .329 in June. Miranda has also drawn a walk in four straight games.

Arias went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a stolen base against Baltimore in a loss Wednesday.

Arias accounted for two of Cleveland's five hits in the defeat and plated the team's final run with his fifth-inning solo homer. The utility man has perked up at the plate of late, batting an even .400 (10-for-25) with a pair of long balls and five RBI over his past nine games. Arias missed some time due to a family medical emergency during that span and isn't an everyday player for the Guardians, so the hot stretch extends back to the beginning of June.

Noel went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's loss to the Orioles.

Noel enjoyed a storybook first big-league plate appearance, blasting a solo shot 413 feet to center field. The 22-year-old was promoted from Triple-A earlier in the day after blazing to a .295/.359/.578 slash line with 18 homers and 59 RBI over 65 games with Columbus. Noel's power is unquestioned -- he went deep 27 times at Triple-A last season -- though he has had some strikeout issues during his time in the minors. There isn't an obvious path to everyday at-bats with the big club, but if Joel is productive, he could work his way into fairly regular playing time by moving between first base, the corner-outfield spots and designated hitter.

Barger is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Barger will take a seat after he had started in eight of the Blue Jays' past 10 games, with five of those assignments coming at third base and the other three in the corner outfield. With Bo Bichette returning from the injured list Tuesday, Barger's opportunities to play in the infield will become more limited moving forward, but he could still push Davis Schneider or George Springer for the occasional start in left or right field.