MLB Player News

Kennedy (wrist) isn't in the lineup Friday against the Tigers.

Kennedy has been dealing with left wrist discomfort since Tuesday and will be out of the lineup for a second consecutive game. Jake Hager is starting at second base while Ketel Marte serves as the designated hitter.

Hayes (shoulder) isn't starting Friday against the Rays.

Hayes sustained a shoulder injury during Thursday's win over the Cubs but isn't believed to be dealing with a significant issue. Hoy Park is starting at third base and batting ninth Friday, while Hayes should be considered day-to-day for now.

Mead is hitting .333/.410/.639 with six home runs, four steals and an 8:18 BB:K through 19 games in June for Double-A Montgomery.

The 21-year-old Australian has hit for average all year long, but he's turned on the power this month as well. One of the better pure hitters in the minors, Mead is due -- perhaps overdue -- for a promotion to Triple-A Durham, where he actually played four games (going 6-for-14 with a homer and two doubles) last season.

Baty has a 14-game hitting streak going for Double-A Binghamton and now boasts a .282/.372/.450 slash line with seven home runs over 54 games this season.

We're still waiting for Baty to get to his considerable raw power consistently in game action, something he'll need to do to succeed at the major-league level if he's going to keep striking out at a fairly high clip (28.1 percent this year). Nonetheless, the 22-year-old third baseman is making progress. Three of his homers have come over the course of the aforementioned hitting streak, during which he's lifted his batting average by 30 points. The Mets have no need to rush him to the big leagues, so look for Baty's development path to remain slow and steady.

Noel has hit 19 homers in 62 games for High-A Lake County this year, but he's also batting .219 with a 31.7 percent strikeout rate and a 7.3 percent walk rate.

While Noel is on close to a 50-homer pace over a 162-game season, he's been striking out more than we've ever seen from him in the past -- including at this same level last year. Noel gained some hype last season after hitting .340 with a 1.005 OPS across three levels of the minors, but that stat line was buoyed by the highly fortunate .421 BABIP he put up while batting .393 in Low-A. He'll need to adjust his approach to become a useful big leaguer, particularly because Noel looks like he may be limited to first base defensively.

Muncy went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored Thursday against Cincinnati.

Muncy highlighted his performance by taking Hunter Greene yard in the fifth inning to record his fifth home of the season. However, he also managed his first multi-hit game since June 9 and his fifth of the campaign. Muncy is still hitting only .232 in 12 games since being activated from the injured list.

Longoria went 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored in Thursday's 7-6 loss to Atlanta.

Longoria struggled in the middle of June while battling a hamstring injury, but he's starting to gain some traction at the plate. He's gone 5-for-15 (.333) with a pair of walks, a double and three runs scored across his last four games. If he can stay healthy, the third baseman could get rolling. He's slashing .225/.307/.422 with five home runs, 12 RBI, 12 runs scored and five doubles in 35 contests overall this year.

Bregman went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Thursday's 7-6 loss to the Yankees.

Jameson Taillon had a rough first inning, allowing the first two Astros hitters to reach base before Bregman's three-run blast. During a six-game hitting streak, Bregman has gone 9-for-20 (.450) with three homers, seven RBI and seven runs scored, and that span includes multiple hits in each of his last three contests. He's posted a .234/.353/.409 slash line in 67 games overall, but his recent work is more in line with what fantasy managers have come to expect of him in his career. With nine long balls this season, he's just three shy of his mark from 91 contests in 2021.

Hayes (shoulder) is only sore after a collision at home plate to close Thursday's game against the Cubs, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Hayes scored in dramatic fashion to win the game for Pittsburgh in the bottom of the 10th inning, but he stayed down after colliding with Willson Contreras. Despite the positive news, Hayes will be evaluated in the morning, which should provide a better idea of his availability for the team's weekend series against the Rays.

Machado (ankle) did leg exercises and played catch on the field prior to Thursday's game against the Phillies, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Cassavell further reported that Machado didn't appear to be favoring his sprained left ankle. Manager Bob Melvin offered that Machado could appear as a pinch hitter "in a few days." While the team remains optimistic that Machado will avoid a stint on the injured list, it sounds as if his return to the lineup is not imminent.