MLB Player News

Arenado (undisclosed) was scratched from Thursday's lineup against the Giants, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Arenado was set to start at third base and bat sixth in the series opener, but he will now be forced to sit. The 35-year-old was dealing with a left side/intercostal injury last week, and it is unclear if Thursday's absence is related to that injury or potentially something new. More information on Arenado's status will likely be provided in the near future, but in the meantime, Jose Fernandez will draw the start at the hot corner versus San Francisco.

Jordan was removed from Thursday's game versus the Orioles in the eighth inning with a left ankle injury, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Jordan's ankle got twisted underneath him as he made an awkward tag at third base. He required assistance to exit the field, so it could be an issue that requires a trip to the injured list. Jordan went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run Thursday before exiting.

Smith (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Smith is slated to play back-to-back full games before being evaluated for a potential return. The utility player landed on the 10-day injured list last week with left hamstring inflammation, but he avoided a strain and is tracking toward a minimum stay on the IL.

Loftin is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game in Toronto.

Loftin had made eight consecutive starts, but he will retreat to the bench for Thursday's series finale. Josh Rojas will occupy the hot corner for the Royals in the rubber match.

Bichette (foot) is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Brewers.

Bichette was removed from Wednesday's game with a left foot contusion after fouling a ball off the area. He managed to avoid any fractures, and Mets interim manager Andy Green expects Bichette to be available off the bench Thursday, according to Andrew Tredinnick of The Bergen Record. Brett Baty is filling in at third base for the Mets in the series finale.

The Royals recalled Rojas from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.

Rojas has posted just a .556 OPS across 80 plate appearances in the majors this season, but he'll get the call to rejoin the big club to make up for the loss of Michael Massey (concussion). Rojas will likely serve primarily as bench depth while Tyler Tolbert receives the majority of starts at second base going forward.

Muncy is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Atlanta.

It's lefty ace Chris Sale on the bump for Atlanta, presenting an opportunity to give the left-handed-hitting Muncy a day of rest. The Dodgers will cover third base with Enrique Hernandez as they try to avoid the series sweep.

Whitcomb went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 10-9 loss to the Reds.

Whitcomb doubled in the second inning before coming around to score, and he launched a two-run homer to left-center field in the sixth. The 27-year-old was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Monday and has started each of San Francisco's last three games. He launched his first Giants home run Wednesday and is now slashing .147/.171/.441 with seven RBI, four runs scored and three long balls across 35 plate appearances between San Francisco and Houston this season.

Follow-up imagining on Mead's fractured left wrist came back clean Monday, and the infielder has been cleared to begin mobility exercises and progress toward strength work, MLB.com reports.

Mead has been able to transition out of the cast he was wearing to protect his injured hand and is now donning a splint. Though he's not yet ready to take part in full baseball activities, ditching the cast at least represents a step forward in the recovery process. The 25-year-old would still appear to have a chance at making it back from the injured list around mid-to-late September.

Lee went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to the Athletics.

Lee has homered four times over his last 10 games, going 10-for-37 (.271) at the dish in that span. The infielder has just one multi-hit effort, but the uptick in power is a positive after he slugged .385 in his first 25 games coming out of the All-Star break. He's batting .247 with a .736 OPS, 21 homers, 70 RBI, 59 runs scored, 21 doubles, three triples and seven stolen bases through 128 contests this year.