MLB Player News

Marcano went 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored Thursday against the Brewers.

Marcano shifted to the leadoff spot and played second base Thursday to make his second consecutive start since being recalled Wednesday. He delivered an RBI single in the seventh inning and now has five hits across eight at-bats in the last two games. The Pirates appear intent on utilizing Marcano's defensive versatility to keep him in the lineup, and he's shown some promise at the plate by maintaining a .269/.321/.410 slash line across 87 plate appearances.

Edman went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in a 7-2 win over the Cubs in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader.

Edman's been solid at the plate, but he hadn't recorded a three-hit game since June 14. He's picked up three steals, four RBI, eight runs scored and two doubles in his last 11 games, hitting .275 in that span. The versatile infielder is up to a .259/.324/.372 slash line with 22 stolen bases, seven home runs, 37 RBI, 69 runs scored, 18 doubles and three triples through 102 contests this season. He'll likely be back at second base more frequently since Paul DeJong has reclaimed a starting role at shortstop after getting recalled from Triple-A Memphis last Saturday. Nolan Gorman is also in the mix for starts at the keystone.

Barger has hit .418/.467/.657 with four home runs in 18 games since being promoted to Double-A New Hampshire.

This hot streak has hardly come out of nowhere, as Barger posted a sharp .295/.361/.549 line with 14 homers and seven steals at High-A Vancouver before moving up. A sixth-round pick in 2018, he was mostly unremarkable in minor-league action prior to this season -- he did show some power in A ball last year, but he struck out far too often. However, Barger has cut his strikeout rate noticeably this season, and he's maintained that improvement since his promotion. He's still a bit raw defensively, but the 23-year-old has a strong arm and may be able to stick at shortstop. Of course, the Jays have Bo Bichette holding that position down for the foreseeable future.

Berti (groin) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Jacksonville this weekend, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Berti has been sidelined for nearly three weeks due to a left groin strain, but he resumed baseball activities in late July and will return to game action this weekend. Assuming he feels good after playing for the Triple-A club, he should be in consideration to rejoin the Marlins next week.

Strange-Gordon was released by the Nationals on Friday, Bobby Blanco of MASN Nationals reports.

Strange-Gordon re-signed with the Nationals on a minor-league deal in mid-July after being released by the team a month prior, and he's once again been let go. The veteran utility man posted a .661 OPS in 23 big-league games and went 4-for-21 in six contests with Triple-A Rochester.

Witt went 2-for-4 with two runs, an RBI and a stolen base in Thursday's 7-3 win against Boston.

Witt singled, stole second and scored in the first inning and brought home the game-winning run with a single before scoring in the seventh for his second straight multi-hit effort. The 22-year-old is one of two players with 15 home runs and 20 thefts and could put together a strong close to his rookie campaign with a .308 average, two home runs and three stolen bases across his last seven games.

Bichette went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a pair of runs scored in Thursday's 9-3 win over the Twins.

Bichette had gone 2-for-16 across his last five games prior to breaking out of the mini-slump Thursday. He was able to score as part of the Blue Jays' rallies in the sixth and eighth innings. The shortstop lifted his season slash line to .260/.303/.419 with 14 home runs, 56 RBI, 57 runs scored, seven stolen bases and 26 doubles through 104 contests.

Smith isn't starting Thursday against the White Sox, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Although right-hander Johnny Cueto is on the mound for the White Sox on Thursday, Smith will head to the bench after he went 3-for-8 with two walks and three strikeouts over the last three games. Ezequiel Duran is starting at third base while Elier Hernandez serves as the designated hitter.

Velazquez will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Thursday's game against the Athletics, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Velazquez will crack the lineup for the fourth time in five games, and he could handle a near-everyday role in the short term if the Angels elect to give Luis Rengifo more exposure to third base rather than leaning on struggling veteran Phil Gosselin at the position. Though the Angels appear to value Velazquez's defense in the middle infield, he's produced an anemic .487 OPS in 262 plate appearances. Velazquez's 12-for-12 success rate on stolen-base attempts has been the only thing propping up his fantasy value.

Fletcher is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Fletcher is 5-for-17 with two doubles, a home run, three RBI and three runs in five games since returning from the injured list, and he'll take a seat Sunday for the third time in the Angels' past five contests. Luis Rengifo and Andrew Velazquez will start at second base and shortstop Thursday.