MLB Player News

Castro went 0-for-3 with a strikeout Thursday against the Reds.

Castro was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis prior to Thursday's game and started at shortstop while hitting ninth. It was his first appearance in the big leagues this season, though he accrued 93 plate appearances with Pittsburgh in 2021 and posted a .198/.258/.395 line. Cole Tucker was optioned in the corresponding move, so Castro should be able to find playing time at second base and shortstop until Kevin Newman (groin) is activated from the injured list.

Segura went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and a stolen base in Thursday's 9-7 win against the Dodgers.

Segura's second-inning double extended his hitting streak to 10 games, and he subsequently stole third base before coming home on a Kyle Schwarber single. During the hitting streak, the veteran infielder is slashing .457/.525/.743 with three homers, six RBI, 10 runs and two stolen bases.

Moncada went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Thursday's loss to the Yankees.

Moncada took reliever Jonathan Loaisiga deep in the seventh inning for a three-run shot that temporarily tied the game 7-7. The long ball was the third baseman's first of the season and also netted his first three RBI of the campaign. This was just the third game of 2022 for Moncada, who missed the first month of the season due to an oblique injury.

Donaldson went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in a 15-7 victory versus the White Sox on Thursday.

Donaldson hit one of four Yankees homers in the win, swatting a three-run shot to left field in the eighth inning to blow things open. It was the veteran's first long ball since April 23 and just his third overall this season. Donaldson is slashing a modest .224/.345/.378 over 116 plate appearances on the campaign.

Urshela isn't starting Thursday's regularly scheduled game against the Astros.

Urshela will get a breather after he went 0-for-5 with a strikeout during Wednesday's suspended game. Jose Miranda will take over at the hot corner and bat fifth.

Duffy (illness) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Duffy has been on the COVID-19 injured list since May 1, but he's been cleared to return to game action with the minor-league club. The team hasn't indicated how many rehab games Duffy will require prior to rejoining the major-league club, but he'll presumably reclaim a part-time role once he's cleared for big-league games.

Rivera will start at third base and bat sixth in Thursday's game against the Rangers, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

After coming off the bench to provide a three-run triple in Wednesday's 8-2 win, Rivera will be rewarded with his second start in three games. The righty-hitting Rivera should have a good chance of sticking in the lineup when the Royals face left-handed pitching, either as a replacement for Ryan O'Hearn or MJ Melendez.

Baty had his biggest game of the year for Double-A Binghamton on Wednesday, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, a homer, a walk, two RBI and three runs. He's now hitting .283/.372/.455 with two homers and 11 doubles across 27 games.

It's good to see Baty hit the ball over the fence, as his only other long ball came in Binghamton's season opener April 8. It's also encouraging to see him go a game without striking out, which is only the fifth time this season he's been able to do so. Despite that, Baty has a solid season line, as he's hitting a bit better than he did in his first taste of Double-A last season. To punch his ticket to the big leagues, though, Baty's going to have to translate his tremendous raw power to game action far more often. That said, there's nothing wrong with his all-fields approach, and Baty is hitting far more line drives and fly balls than he did last year, which is promising.

Anderson (illness) will begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Jupiter on Thursday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Anderson is gearing up for a return from the COVID-19 injured list, with his upcoming rehab assignment representing the final stage of his recovery program before he's reinstated to the 26-man active roster. He may only need one game at Jupiter before the Marlins sign off on him returning from the IL ahead of Friday's series opener with the Brewers.

Castro was recalled by the Pirates on Thursday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Castro spent a stretch of time in the majors in the second half of last season but largely failed to impress, hitting .198/.258/.395 in 31 games. He did hit the ball hard, posting a 10.2 percent barrel rate and homering five times, but he didn't hit it often, striking out 29.0 percent of the time. That latter number looks especially poor next to his 6.5 percent walk rate. Through 29 games for Triple-A Indianapolis this season, he's hit .250/.397/.402, offsetting a still-elevated 26.7 percent strikeout rate with an excellent 17.2 percent walk rate. Contact and plate discipline look like they'll be the keys to whether or not he's given enough opportunities to let his power shine.