MLB Player News

Busch is hitting .223/.373/.415 with nine homers, two steals, 30 RBI and 34 runs in 51 games for Double-A Tulsa.

Thus far in his minor-league career, Busch has shown that his greatest skill is drawing walks, which he's done 37 times this season -- good for a stellar 15.9 percent walk rate. Unfortunately, that's the only particularly promising part of his batting line, as he's striking out at a 29.6 percent clip and isn't showing enough power to offset the swing-and-miss in his game. The No. 31 overall pick in 2019, Busch has plenty of talent, but he needs to do a better job tapping into his power in game action. Fortunately, he went into the All-Star break doing just that, having smashed three homers and a double over Tulsa's last six games. If he can keep it up, he could move up to Triple-A this season, but Busch isn't likely to see any MLB action in 2021.

Muncy went 3-for-5 with a double, three-run home run and an additional run in Los Angeles' 7-4 triumph against Arizona on Sunday.

Muncy got going late with a sixth-inning double, eighth-inning single, a game-tying run and a walk-off-three-run home run in the ninth. The infielder has now hit safely in each of his last five games, is fifth in the majors with 58 walks and is one of five qualified players with more walks than strikeouts. He enters the break with a .270/.414/.559 slash line, 19 home runs, 54 runs and 52 RBI in 78 games.

Castro went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Mets.

The infielder hit a solo shot in the fifth inning to get Pittsburgh on the board, then pulled then within a run with his two-run blast in the sixth. While Castro has just three hits in 13 at-bats so far, all three of those knocks have left the yard. Castro could carve out more playing time if he continues to hit for power, but he'll likely be limited to a bench role when Phillip Evans (concussion) returns.

McMahon is not in the starting lineup Sunday against the Padres, Daniel Guerrero of MLB.com reports.

He sat Saturday against righty Joe Musgrove and will remain on the bench against southpaw Ryan Weathers to begin the series finale. McMahon isn't reported to be dealing with any injuries, so this appears to just be consecutive days off for the infielder entering the All-Star break. Joshua Fuentes will bat seventh and man the hot corner.

Duffy (back) will start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.

A lower-back strain has sidelined Duffy since May. It's unclear how many games he'll require on the rehab assignment, but an activation when he's eligible July 22 remains realistic. Duffy hit .278 with 12 RBI in 90 at-bats before suffering the injury.

Hayes is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets, Jake Crouse of MLB.com reports.

After going 1-for-4 on Saturday, Hayes is hitting .250 in nine July games. He's hit one home run and has three RBI in that span. Rodolfo Castro is starting at third base and batting seventh Sunday.

The Phillies recalled Maton from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

The infielder hit .265 with 13 RBI in 113 at-bats before being optioned July 2. Maton was one of the reinforcements recalled for Sunday's series finale in Boston after four players were placed on the COVID-19 injured list.

Muncy went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored Saturday in the Dodgers' 22-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

Muncy did all his damage in four innings before manager Dave Roberts subbed him out of the contest while the Dodgers held a comfortable 9-0 lead. Since slugging four home runs in a five-game stretch between June 25 and July 1, Muncy has failed to leave the yard, but he's still maintained a solid .743 OPS over the past week and a half while striking out only three times in nine contests.

Farmer is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

Farmer is hitting .250 in seven games since the start of July, though he's gone hitless in five of those contests. Even so, he's tallied a pair of home runs and scored an additional three runs this month. Mike Freeman will get another start at shortstop in Sunday's series finale.

Baty will be promoted to Double-A Binghamton after participating in the Futures Game on Sunday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Baty has found success at the plate this season with High-A Brooklyn, slashing .309//397/.514 across 209 plate appearances. Baty will now join Binghamton, where he's likely to finish his campaign. If the infielder continues to progress as expected, he could become a candidate to be called up to the majors as soon as 2022.