MLB Player News

Baez is not in Sunday's lineup against the Brewers.

Baez is 0-for-14 with seven strikeouts over his last three games, so he will head to the bench for a rare breather. Jason Kipnis starts at second base while Nico Hoerner slides over to shortstop.

Rojas is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Braves, Andre Fernandez of Sirius XM Radio reports.

Rojas was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list Saturday, but he didn't see any use in the Marlins' 2-1 loss later that day, and he'll now be on the bench for the series finale. The Marlins may just be working Rojas back in slowly, as the 31-year-old is eventually expected to settle back in as the team's everyday shortstop. Jonathan Villar will cover the position in Rojas' stead Sunday.

Berti will start in right field and will bat sixth Sunday against the Braves, Andre Fernandez of Sirius XM Radio reports.

Though he opened the campaign in a super-utility role, Berti has seemingly found a home of late in right field, where he'll be making his fourth consecutive start. Berti may be squeezed out of the outfield once Corey Dickerson (personal) returns from the bereavement list and the likes of Harold Ramirez and Garrett Cooper are back from the COVID-19 injured list, but Berti's ability to play three infield spots should help keep his playing time relatively stable. Through 50 plate appearances this season, Berti is slashing .227/.320/.273 with nine runs and four stolen bases.

Ahmed went 2-for-4 with a double, three RBI and one run scored in Saturday's 7-6 win over the Padres.

Ahmed, who extended his hitting streak to six games, has busted out of an early season slump in a big way. The shortstop is 11-for-22 with a home run, two doubles, nine RBI and 10 runs scored during the streak.

Story went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a triple in Saturday's 6-4 loss to the Rangers.

Story put good lumber on all three of his hits, but his teammates were unable to bring him around each time. The shortstop is on a seven-game hitting streak, during which he's gone 13-for-32 (.406) with five RBI, seven runs scored and two stolen bases. Story is hitting .321/.396/.617 with six homers, four steals, 12 RBI and 19 runs in 20 games overall.

Turner went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Orioles.

Turner crushed his fourth homer of the year for the Nationals' third and final run of the game. It was his second consecutive three-hit effort, raising his slash line to .292/.305/.500 with eight RBI and 10 runs scored in 18 games. Turner has stolen 30-plus bases in each of the last four seasons, but he's 0-for-3 on the basepaths in 2020.

Rojas (illness) was reinstated Saturday by the MLB's joint committee and will report to the Marlins' alternate training site, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

Rojas was one of several Marlins who tested positive for COVID-19 during the team outbreak that occurred in late July. He was off to a blistering start, going 7-for-10 with a home run, five RBI and a stolen base in just three games before he was sidelined. There is no doubt Rojas' productivity will take a hit once he officially returns, but he should be slotted in as the team's everyday shortstop which definitely gives him enough appeal to be added in a majority of leagues. A clearer timeline of his return to the 28-man roster should be known in the coming days.

Turner went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI in Friday's 15-3 rout of the Orioles.

Every Nats starter, and 11 players in total, got at least one hit on the night, but it was Turner who set the tone from the top of the order. The shortstop is red hot right now - over his last six games, he's hitting .370 (10-for-27) with a double, two homers, five RBI and seven runs -- but fantasy GMs invested in Turner won't feel comfortable with his performance until he finally steals his first base of 2020.

Mateo is expected to log time in both the infield and outfield, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Mateo was added to the active roster Thursday and made his big-league debut that night against the Dodgers, starting in left field and going 0-for-3 in his major-league debut. The appearance was his first in left field as a professional, as the 25-year-old's outfield experience was previously limited to 29 minor-league games in center field in 2017. Padres manager Jayce Tingler made it clear that the club envisions Mateo as a versatile defender, stating, "That's why we got him, hopefully to bring some of that athleticism, some of that speed and move him around the field. I'm sure he's going to play a lot of roles going forward."

DeJong (illness) will not be rejoining the Cardinals when the team resumes play in Chicago, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

DeJong was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Aug. 4, and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak seemed to imply that the slugging shortstop won't be cleared from that designation any earlier than next Thursday. DeJong will need to clear all testing protocols and also get in several workouts before being considered ready for game action. Tommy Edman is expected to handle the bulk of the shortstop duties while DeJong remains on the shelf, although Max Schrock and Brad Miller are candidates to fill in as well.