MLB Player News

Machado went 4-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Monday's 5-0 win over the Reds.

Machado doubled in his first plate appearance before adding singles in three of his next four trips to the plate, giving him a season-high four hits. The double also snapped a 10-game stretch without an extra-base hit, during which Machado batted just .184. Despite Monday's performance, the veteran third baseman is having a down year overall, batting .220 with a .712 OPS across 135 games.

Freeman went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a stolen base in Monday's 8-1 win over the Athletics.

Freeman deposited a pair of RBI singles and swiped his first bag of the season as part of a winning effort. The 25-year-old has been productive in a small sample size, slashing .300/.373/.400 with a homer, six RBI and seven runs across 69 big-league plate appearances. Since being recalled Aug. 14, Freeman has claimed a fairly regular role in the infield with Josh Jung (calf) sidelined.

Bregman went 3-for-6 with three home runs and four total RBI in Monday's 17-3 win over the Brewers.

Bregman wrapped up a strong month with another monster performance. The veteran third baseman matched his career high of three home runs in a game, tying the mark he set just 19 days ago. Overall in August, Bregman recorded 12 long balls and 30 RBI while posting a robust 1.025 OPS across 28 contests. The 32-year-old's slow start to his first campaign with the Cubs feels like a distant memory at this point, and Bregman appears poised to be an offensive force in the final month of the regular season.

Morales will have his contract selected from Triple-A Rochester prior to Tuesday's game against Atlanta, Yordano Carmona of Pelota Cubana USA reports.

Morales has put together a strong campaign at Triple-A, where he's hitting .286 with 25 home runs, 76 RBI, six stolen bases and 82 runs over 104 games. The 24-year-old's promotion will be made official Tuesday when rosters expand. Morales made 47 starts at first base, 40 starts at the hot corner and 17 starts as the designated hitter for the Red Wings this season, so he'll likely have a few different paths to playing time with the Nationals.

Karros is hopeful to be cleared from the league's concussion protocol Tuesday, and then play for Double-A Hartford from Thursday to Sunday, Eli Whitney of Blake Street Banter reports.

This plan all depends on whether Karros comes out of concussion protocol Tuesday, though either way, he appears to be trending in the right direction. The 24-year-old landed back on the concussion injured list Aug. 23 after experiencing additional symptoms, so the club is presumably taking it slow with the third baseman to ensure he's fully healthy before activating him. If all goes well, Karros could be back in the big leagues for the start of Colorado's road series Sept. 8 against the Yankees.

Arizona optioned Fernandez to Triple-A Reno on Monday.

After two weeks with the big-league club, the Diamondbacks are sending Fernandez back to Triple-A. Over his last seven games in the majors, the 22-year-old slashed .267/.389/.267 over 18 plate appearances. Arizona needed to clear a roster spot for Ketel Marte (knee) in his return from the 10-day injured list.

Jung (calf) has been cleared for full baseball activities and could begin a rehab assignment as soon as this weekend, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Jung did some running Monday and said afterward that it went well, though it seems he's still not quite 100 percent with his running at this point. He will continue to ramp things up this week, with the goal of playing in rehab games by the weekend if all goes well. Jung has been sidelined for more than a month with a left calf strain.

Vivas will start at second base and bat sixth in Monday's game against the Marlins.

Vivas will remain in the lineup for a fifth game in a row after going 4-for-11 with two doubles, four walks, one stolen base and one RBI over the prior four contests. Four of those starts have come at second base, but assuming CJ Abrams quickly moves past the back issue that resulted in him being scratched from the lineup Monday, Vivas could end up pushing Brady House for playing time at the hot corner during the final month of the season.

Baty is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rays.

Baty will take a seat for the second day in a row, after he had started in each of the Mets' prior four contests. With the Orioles picking up Luis Robert via a waiver claim Monday and with Juan Soto likely to be limited to the designated-hitter spot following his recent return from the injured list, Baty could end up getting fairly steady playing time versus right-handed pitching in a corner-outfield spot.

Encarnacion-Strand is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rockies.

Encarnacion-Strand will cede his spot in the starting nine to Blaze Alexander, who will handle the hot corner and bat seventh. While starting in each of the last eight games, Encarnacion-Strand went 10-for-32 (.313 average) with one home run, three doubles, two walks, six RBI and five runs.