MLB Player News

Marcano went 2-for-3 with a walk, a grand slam and one steal in Monday's 6-4 victory over the Rangers.

Marcano singled in the fourth and proceeded to steal second, marking his second swipe of the year, but he was stranded to end the inning. He walked in his next at-bat and hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh to stake the Pirates to a 6-1 lead. Marcano has done an admirable job filling in for Oneil Cruz (ankle), but the former's overall numbers are less than spectacular. However, he's picked up his offensive game of late and is slashing .321/.367/.607 with four extra-base hits and seven RBI over his past 11 games (28 at-bats).

Baez went 3-for-6 with a double, a run scored and three RBI in Monday's 8-5 win over the Royals in 10 innings.

Baez came into the contest 0-for-16 across his last four games, so this was a step in the right direction for the streaky shortstop. Baez is now batting .243 this month and .238 for the season, as he hasn't been able to truly get going at the plate despite some big games here and there. He should continue to see regular playing time, though he's hard to trust in fantasy leagues at the moment.

Chang (wrist) could begin a rehab assignment Wednesday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Chang underwent surgery in late April, but he resumed baseball activities over a week ago and is now on the verge of appearing in a game for the first time in nearly a month. If all continues to go well, he could rejoin the big club in late May or early June.

Lopez was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo by the Blue Jays on Monday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Lopez will provide some infield depth while Santiago Espinal (hamstring) is out. He has managed just a .533 OPS with Buffalo this season.

Witt is batting sixth for the Royals on Monday versus the Tigers.

Witt has been the team's leadoff hitter almost exclusively this season and hadn't batted below third previously this year. The young infielder has managed just a .226/.267/.410 slash line this season and has a .581 OPS across his last 10 contests. Lefty-hitting Nick Pratto has been elevated to the leadoff spot for Kansas City against righty Michael Lorenzen.

Duran is not in the starting lineup Monday versus the Pirates.

Duran will get a day off after he went 5-for-9 with a homer, a double, two RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base over the three-game series with the Rockies. Duran has quickly become a regular in the Rangers' lineups, batting .314 with five home runs, five doubles, 11 RBI, 13 runs scored and a stolen base over 70 at-bats in 18 games in May. Josh Smith will take over at designated hitter and bat eighth in the series opener with Pittsburgh.

Barger, who has been sidelined with Triple-A Buffalo since April 28, had his right elbow checked out last week by Dr. Keith Meister in Texas and there was no structural damage found, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

This is positive news for Barger, who is now rehabbing at the Blue Jays' spring training facility in Florida. He was off to a slow start to the season prior to suffering the elbow injury. Barger is slashing .237/.333/.329 with one home run, one steal and a 31 percent strikeout rate in 20 games.

Marte is hitting .365 with seven home runs, four steals and a 12:8 K:BB in his last 85 at-bats at Double-A Chattanooga.

Marte got off to a slow start in his first exposure to Double-A pitching, hitting .186 with 17 strikeouts in his first 15 games, but he has been dialed in since then. He has made 25 starts at shortstop and nine starts at third base, with the hot corner being his most likely long-term home.

Lindor went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader sweep of the Guardians.

After going 0-for-4 in the matinee, the shortstop got some revenge against his former club in the nightcap by spoiling Shane Bieber's shutout bid with a blast to left-center field in the sixth inning. Lindor is picking up the pace at the plate, and over the last 15 games he's slashing .277/.309/.431 with two of his seven homers on the year.

Berti went 3-for-5 with a run scored in Sunday's 7-5 loss to the Giants.

Berti's playing time has been slipping of late, but he was productive out of the leadoff spot Sunday. This was his fifth multi-hit effort in 15 games in May. The versatile speedster is slashing .280/.324/.364 with two home runs, nine RBI, 18 runs scored and seven stolen bases through 42 contests this season. He should be in the lineup versus southpaws, and his contact-hitting approach could also earn him some time versus right-handers when he's hot.