MLB Player News

Bride will not start Saturday against the Astros, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Bride has made plenty of contact through his first 90 MLB plate appearances, striking out just 15.6 percent of the time, but he's struggled to hit the ball with much authority. A 1.4 percent barrel rate has led to zero home runs and just three extra-base hits, and he's slashing just .229/.289/.265. Nick Allen will start at second base Saturday.

Ramirez went 3-for-3 with a home run, four RBI and a walk in Friday's 8-0 win over the Blue Jays.

Ramirez had gone 8-for-39 (.205) with only two extra-base hits in the first 10 games of August. He put the slump to rest with a three-run home run in the fourth inning after previously contributing a sacrifice fly in the third. The third baseman's recent cold stretch hasn't done much damage to his season stats -- he's slashing .285/.355/.551 with 22 homers, 92 RBI, 63 runs scored and 14 stolen bases through 108 contests.

Bride went 2-for-3 with an RBI double, another two-bagger, a walk and a run in a loss to the Astros on Friday.

Bride's productive night marked the fifth time he'd hit safely in the last six games, and it featured his first two extra-base hits since he laced a double against the Royals back on June 18 for his first such knock in the majors. The rookie seems to be hitting his stride at the plate somewhat at the big-league level, as he now carries a .258 average and .343 on-base percentage over his last nine games, a span during which he's generated an acceptable 20.0 percent strikeout rate coupled with a solid 11.4 percent walk rate.

Anderson isn't starting the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against Atlanta, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Anderson returned to the field Friday after a three-week absence due to a shoulder injury. He went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and a strikeout in his return. Charles Leblanc is starting at the hot corner and batting seventh.

Castro went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a triple in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Giants.

Castro has gone 4-for-12 with a homer and a pair of triples in four games since he was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. He started the first two contests after his recall at second base, and he picked up a spot start at the hot corner Friday. For the season, the infielder is slashing .217/.286/.386 with a pair of homers, five RBI, eight runs scored, two stolen bases and three triples through 91 plate appearances. If the switch hitter can stay productive with the bat, he should carve out a fairly steady role despite not having a set position.

Urshela went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and a double in Friday's 4-0 win over the Angels.

Urshela fell a triple shy of the cycle Friday, striking out in the eighth inning to miss achieving the feat. It was still one of his better games of late -- his last three-hit effort was July 6. The third baseman has a .268/.309/.439 slash line with 11 homers, 46 RBI, 40 runs scored, 18 doubles and two triples through 94 contests this year. Urshela should still see most of the playing time at third base now that he's moved past an ankle injury, but the hot-hitting Jose Miranda could also see some looks there.

Arenado went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 3-1 win over the Brewers.

Arenado has homered in three straight games and already has six through 10 contests in August. He's hit safely in every game this month, going 16-for-38 (.421) during that impressive span. The 31-year-old is up to 25 long balls, 73 RBI, 58 runs scored, two stolen bases and a .303/.370/.570 slash line through 104 contests this year.

Duffy (back) will begin a rehab assignment next week, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Duffy has been out with lower-back spasms since late June. His late-July move to the 60-day injured list means he can't return until near the end of August, so his rehab assignment won't be a particularly brief one.

Hayes is day-to-day with back spasms, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

The issue explains why Hayes is on the bench Friday against the Giants. While the problem doesn't appear to be a major one, the Pirates have no incentive to rush him back in a long season, so it's possible Rodolfo Castro gets a handful of starts at third base.

Escobar left Friday's game against the Phillies with a side injury, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The specific nature and severity of Escobar's injury are not yet clear. He'd already seen a significant drop in playing time, as he slipped into a short-side platoon role behind Luis Guillorme at third base to begin August, so his short-term outlook won't change much if he's shut down for a few days.