MLB Player News

Westburg (hip) will start at second base and bat sixth in Thursday's game versus the Yankees.

Westburg had to depart Tuesday's contest with a bruised left hip and then didn't play Wednesday, but he's back in there for Thursday's rubber match. With Westburg handling second base, Ramon Urias will be at the hot corner.

Toro (shoulder) is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Royals.

Toro will miss out on a third consecutive start while he recovers from a sore shoulder, an injury that first cropped up in the Athletics' doubleheader with the Twins on Sunday. Aledmys Diaz will fill in at third base Thursday for Toro, who is considered day-to-day.

Biggio is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rockies.

Biggio will join fellow left-handed hitters Gavin Lux and Jason Heyward on the bench for the series finale in Colorado while the Rockies send southpaw Ty Blach to the hill. Enrique Hernandez will enter the lineup at third base as Biggio's replacement.

Rojas is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Guardians.

With lefty Logan Allen on the hill for Cleveland, Rojas and fellow left-handed-hitting regulars Dominic Canzone and Luke Raley will retreat to the bench. Dylan Moore will move over from his usual spot at second base to cover the hot corner in Rojas' stead.

Smith started at designated hitter and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Mets.

Smith returned from a hamstring injury Tuesday but has been limited to DH duties in both games, and he's still made an impact with his bat. In the bottom of the sixth inning Wednesday, he doubled in a run then scored a game-tying run. Smith is 3-for-7 with a home run, a double, four RBI and an additional run scored in the two games at DH.

Espinal started at third base and went 1-for-3 in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to Pittsburgh.

Espinal received a second consecutive start at the hot corner, as Jeimer Candelario (tendinitis) was unavailable. This could be a situation where manager David Bell is giving Candelario multiple days to rest up, including a team day off Thursday, so that he'll be ready to go Friday when the Reds open a home series against the suddenly hot Red Sox.

Urias went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Yankees.

Urias went deep in the fifth inning for his first homer since June 3. The infielder has hit safely in his last six games, going 8-for-23 (.348) in that span. He had to settle for a utility role early in the year, but he's been staking a larger claim with strong hitting in June. For the season, Urias is slashing .252/.298/.421 with four homers, 10 RBI, 15 runs scored and no stolen bases over 114 plate appearances. He may be set for a short-term bump in playing time if Jordan Westburg (hip) has to sit out more games following his injury Tuesday.

Ramirez went 2-for-4 with one RBI, one stolen base and one run scored in Wednesday's 8-0 win over the Mariners.

Ramirez has picked up right where he left off following a brief stint on the paternity list. He's gone 4-for-9 with two RBI and two runs scored over two games since he returned. The third baseman continues to do a little bit of everything for the Guardians with a .275/.333/.531 slash line, 18 home runs, 12 steals, 64 RBI and 53 runs scored through 68 contests this season. Ramirez is hitting .286 (14-for-49) in June.

Lewis went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in an extra-inning loss to the Rays on Wednesday.

Lewis racked up three of the Twins' nine hits and accounted for their final run of the contest with a solo shot to left field in the fifth inning. The 25-year-old third baseman continues to swing a potent bat, as he's gone deep eight times across just 57 plate appearances this season. He doesn't have nearly enough plate appearances to qualify, but Lewis' .848 slugging percentage on the season would lead MLB by a wide margin if he did.

Paredes went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 3-2 extra-inning win against Minnesota.

Paredes supplied the only run off Twins starter Joe Ryan with his third-inning solo shot to left field. The long ball was his first of June and just his second over his past 25 contests. Paredes has slowed down in the power department after a fast start to the season, but he's still the Rays' leader with 11 home runs overall.