MLB Player News

Arenado went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and a walk in a 9-1 win in Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader versus Atlanta.

Arenado got St. Louis on the board with a two-run blast in the first inning. He also drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth to pad the lead. The third baseman was kept quieter in the nightcap, going 1-for-3 in a 1-0 loss. The 30-year-old entered Sunday on an 0-for-18 skid at the plate. He's slashing .271/.320/.502 with 13 long balls, 47 RBI and 34 runs scored across 291 plate appearances.

Cubs manager David Ross said that Duffy (back) will resume a buildup program for baseball activities in the next few days after "everything was good" Friday during his checkup with a team doctor, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Duffy has been sidelined since late May with a lower-back strain, but he finally appears to have taken a step forward in his recovery after being in a holding pattern for much of the past month. He should serve as a utility infielder for the Cubs once reinstated from the 10-day injured list, likely in early July.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he expects Muncy (oblique) to return from the 10-day injured list either Tuesday or Wednesday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Roberts said the same timeline applies to Cody Bellinger (hamstring), so the Dodgers should return two of their top hitters to the lineup at some point during their three-game series with the Padres that begins Monday. Muncy was able to play in a simulated game over the weekend and looks to be progressing well from the right oblique strain that forced him to the IL on June 12.

McMahon is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.

With a lefty (Eric Lauer) on the mound for the Brewers, Rockies manager Bud Black viewed the final game of the Rockies' homestand as a good time to build in some rest for the lefty-hitting McMahon. The 26-year-old had started in six of the Rockies' seven games over the past week, going 7-for-24 with four extra-base hits.

Peterson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.

Peterson had started in nine of Milwaukee's previous 10 games, with five of those assignments coming at the keystone. After everyday second baseman Kolten Wong was reinstated from the injured list Friday, Peterson is expected to transition into more of a utility role, which may only afford him a handful of starts per week. With his playing time set to decline, Peterson won't be worth monitoring outside of NL-only leagues.

Wisdom is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

With the Cubs getting healthier in the outfield over the past two weeks, Kris Bryant has been spending more time at third base, which has resulted in Wisdom losing out on at-bats. Wisdom will be on the bench for the fourth time in six games, and the Cubs may view him as only a short-side platoon player when the team is relatively healthy.

Sosa will start at second base and bat seventh in Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader with Atlanta.

With Tommy Edman spending most of his time in right field these days, Sosa appears to have at least temporarily emerged as the Cardinals' preferred option at the keystone ahead of Matt Carpenter. Sosa will stick in the lineup for the fifth time in six games, even though the lefty-hitting Carpenter holds the platoon advantage with right-hander Bryse Wilson on the hill for Atlanta.

Machado went 1-for-3 with a three-RBI double, a walk and a stolen base in Saturday's 7-5 win over Cincinnati.

The third baseman gave San Diego's its first lead with his three-run double in the fourth inning. He's racked up seven hits in his last five games, and five of them have gone for extra bases (one home run, four doubles), Machado is slashing .249/.332/.443 with 10 homers, 44 RBI, 34 runs scored and seven stolen bases in nine attempts this year.

Manager Dave Roberts said that Muncy (oblique) played in a simulated game at the team's spring training facility Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Muncy has already been reported to be targeting a return to the lineup at some point during the upcoming series against the Padres, and his participation in a simulated game further confirms that he's nearing activation from the injured list. The infielder has been sidelined since June 11 with a right oblique strain.

Vargas was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks on Saturday.

Vargas has already been designated for assignment three previous times this season. He cleared waivers the first time after getting dropped from the Cubs' 40-man roster in late March but was picked up by the Pirates after the Cubs DFA'd him again in mid-May. He lasted less than two weeks in Pittsburgh before being DFA'd yet again and traded to the Diamondbacks. It seems that teams like him enough to keep him around for a few weeks on the end of their bench, so it's possible he'll get claimed yet again this time around. The move clears a spot for the Diamondbacks to add the newly-signed Jake Faria.