MLB Player News

Castillo went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Reds.

The rookie gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead with a solo shot in the fifth inning off Mike Minor and added a single off Ian Gibaut in the eighth. The homer was Castillo's first blast since July 28 and his ninth of the season. However, he's still only slashing .198/.240/.371 through his first 70 games.

Cruz went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Reds.

After sitting out the afternoon game, Cruz returned for Game 2 and notched his second steal of the campaign. The strikeouts are piling up at an alarming rate (22 strikeouts now in 17 MLB games this season), and Cruz will need to make more consistent contact in the years to come to get the most out of his immense skills.

Swanson went 1-for-4 with a walk and two stolen bases in a 3-2 loss in extra innings Thursday against St. Louis.

Swanson walked and stole second in the first and singled and swiped a bag in the fifth. The shortstop continues to play well and has a .355/.375/.581 with five extra-base hits and three stolen bases in 32 plate appearances in July. Swanson joins Julio Rodriguez and Kyle Tucker as the only players in baseball with 14 homers and 14 stolen bases.

Edman isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against Atlanta, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Edman went 1-for-13 with three strikeouts over the last three games and will get a breather in Thursday's series finale. Edmundo Sosa is starting at shortstop and batting eighth.

Adrianza is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Phillies, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Adrianza had started in each of the last four games, though he's expected to fade into more of a part-time role moving forward since Nelson Cruz's (illness) return from a two-game absence will no longer leave an extra lineup spot available. Maikel Franco, who made one start as the Nationals' designated hitter while Cruz was out, will be back in the lineup at third base Thursday.

Cruz isn't starting the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Reds.

Cruz will get a breather after he hit .156 with three homers, a double, six RBI and four runs over his last nine games. Diego Castillo is starting at shortstop and batting fifth during Thursday's matinee.

Berti (lower body) is starting in left field and batting leadoff Wednesday versus the Angels.

Berti is back in the lineup Wednesday after sitting out two consecutive games with lower body tightness. The 32-year-old has struggled recently from the plate, going 1-for-19 over his last five contests.

Crawford (knee) went 1-for-4 with a double in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Crawford supplied the Giants' lone extra-base hit in the contest. The shortstop needed just a minimum stay on the injured list with left knee inflammation, and he should be good to go for a near-everyday role now that he's active again. The 35-year-old is slashing .225/.312/.353 with six home runs, 30 RBI, 26 runs scored, a stolen base, nine doubles and two triples through 64 games.

Berti was held out of Tuesday's game against the Angels due to tightness in his lower extremities, Christina Di Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Berti sat out Tuesday for the second consecutive game due to the injury, and manager Don Mattingly believes the two straight days off will "be really beneficial." It's unclear exactly how long the 32-year-old has been battling the injury, but he's 1-for-19 across his past five contests.

Arcia is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cardinals.

Phil Gosselin will pick up a second straight start at second base in place of Arcia, whose ongoing slump may have prompted manager Brian Snitker to go in a different direction. Before sitting out Monday's 6-3 win, Arcia had gone 2-for-28 with 10 strikeouts over his last eight contests.