MLB Player News

Muncy went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-2 win over the Phillies.

Muncy battled a wrist injury earlier in the week. He went 0-for-4 on Wednesday versus the Rockies in his return to the lineup, but he was able to get back on track with a homer Friday. The third baseman had gone eight contests without a long ball prior to taking Zack Wheeler deep in the second inning. Muncy is now batting .253 with an .873 OPS, 13 homers, 20 RBI, 37 runs scored, six doubles and no stolen bases over 51 games this season. He's likely to continue functioning in a strong-side platoon role at the hot corner.

Arenado (groin) was removed from Friday's game against the Mariners after getting hit on the arm by a pitch, Jody Jackson of Bally Sports Arizona reports.

Originally left out of the starting lineup because of groin soreness, Arenado entered Friday's contest as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning and recorded a base hit before taking a 97.8 mph fastball off his left arm during his second at-bat in the ninth. The veteran third baseman looked to be in a considerable amount of pain afterward and will presumably be sent in for X-rays to determine whether he suffered a fracture. Jose Fernandez would figure to continue starting at third base if Arenado needs to miss additional time.

Hamilton went 1-for-3 with a solo homer in Friday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Astros.

Hamilton took Kai-Wei Teng deep for his first homer of the season in the top of the third inning. Seeing regular playing time at shortstop and third base for Milwaukee, Hamilton's long ball snapped an 0-for-12 skid. He's slashing a paltry .226/.314/.282 with four extra-base hits, including the one homer, nine RBI, 22 runs scored, 10 stolen bases and a 15:29 BB:K across 147 plate appearances this season.

Arenado (groin) is not in the Diamondbacks' starting lineup against the Mariners on Friday.

Arenado will be out of the Diamondbacks' lineup for a second consecutive game while recovering from right groin tightness that popped up in Tuesday's game against the Giants. Jose Fernandez will start at third base and bat eighth in Friday's series opener, but Arenado told reporters that he could be available off the bench and return to the lineup for Saturday's contest, per Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic.

The Dodgers signed Espinal to a contract Friday, Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Espinal was outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday after clearing waivers, but he's back with the big club largely due to Enrique Hernandez going on the injured list due to a significant left oblique injury. With Hernandez sidelined and Hyeseong Kim optioned to Triple-A, Espinal could see some work at second and third base in a depth role behind Max Muncy and Alex Freeland.

Gonzalez (knee) is starting at third base and batting out of the cleanup spot against the Twins on Friday, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.

Gonzalez was removed from Thursday's game against the Cubs due to left knee discomfort, but he's been cleared to play in the first game of the Pirates' weekend home series. He's struggled at the plate as of late, having gone 2-for-22 (.091) with one RBI, two runs and seven strikeouts over his last six games.

The Marlins optioned Pauley to Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Pauley has not got on track offensively this season, slashing just .165/.211/.271 across 91 plate appearances. He will look to get his swing in order at Jacksonville, and the Marlins will go with a combination of Javier Sanoja, Leo Jimenez and Connor Norby at third base.

Gorman is out of the lineup for Friday's series opener against the Cubs, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

St. Louis will leave Gorman out of Friday's lineup against lefty Shota Imanaga. Thomas Saggese will take over at third base for Gorman and hit eighth in the batting order.

The Cardinals optioned Prieto to Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

Prieto was promoted in early May and didn't play much, going hitless in 17 plate appearances. He'll see more regular reps at Memphis, where he's slashed .311/.357/.566 this season.

Espinal was outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, Noah Camras of SI.com reports.

Espinal cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Monday, and he'll now head to Oklahoma City. The move to drop Espinal from the 40-man roster was made so that the team could activate Enrique Hernandez from the 60-day injured list, but Hernandez has now landed right back on the IL with an oblique injury. It's possible that Espinal could return to the major-league roster relatively soon.