MLB Player News

Espinal went 2-for-5 with a stolen base in Sunday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Giants.

Espinal was one of two Reds with multiple hits in the game, and it was his first such performance since April 24. The infielder hit a poor .121 (4-for-33) over 11 contests in between multi-hit efforts. He's slashing .186/.245/.244 with one home run, 12 RBI, six runs scored and five steals over 30 games this season. Espinal has sat out the last four games in which the Reds have faced a right-handed pitcher, though he's still been in the lineup against the last three southpaws they've faced.

Riley was removed from Sunday's contest against the Mets in bottom of the fourth inning with left side tightness, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Riley's removal from the contest has been described as precautionary according to Atlanta. The third baseman finished his night going 1-for-2 with a single and a strikeout. Riley's status will likely be updated following the conclusion of the team's series finale with New York.

Mendick (back) is expected to begin a rehab assignment in the near future, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

Mendick will begin a rehab assignment in the next day or two according to manager Pedro Grifol. The 30-year-old has been out since May 2 with lower-back tightness, but he appears to be on track to return to the major-league roster in the near future.

Rojas is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

The lefty-hitting Rojas will duck out of the starting nine for the series finale while southpaw Alex Wood takes the hill for Oakland. Luis Urias will fill in for Rojas at third base.

Smith is out of the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Rockies.

The lefty-hitting Smith went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Saturday's 8-3 loss. He will begin Sunday's contest on the bench as the Rockies send out southpaw Ty Blach. Ezequiel Duran will fill in for Smith at third base.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Arenado will be out of the lineup for Sunday's game in Milwaukee, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Arenado isn't dealing with an injury, as Marmol characterized the third baseman's absence from the lineup as an off day. The 33-year-old had started each of the Cardinals' first 39 games of the season and is maintaining a .703 OPS, the lowest mark of his career. He didn't appear to be turning a corner at the plate over the first three games of the series in Milwaukee, as he went just 1-for-12 with three strikeouts.

Lipscomb is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.

Lipscomb had started each of the Nationals' last seven games, but he recorded just three hits in 20 at-bats with five walks against four strikeouts over that stretch. Since his April 24 promotion from Triple-A Rochester, Lipscomb is getting on base at a .370 clip over 15 games, but he isn't hitting for much power (.283 slugging percentage). He still looks to be the Nationals' primary third baseman for now, but Lipscomb could be at risk of losing out on some playing time if Washington wants to open up regular work for Joey Gallo (shoulder) when he likely returns from the 10-day injured list during the upcoming week.

Cabrera is out of the lineup for Sunday's series finale against Tampa Bay.

Cabrera went 0-for-2 in Saturday's 7-2 loss to the Rays and is slashing just .200/.246/.262 over his last 20 games. He finds himself on the bench for the second time in three games and could be losing hold of his regular role at third base. Jon Berti will fill in for Cabrera once again Sunday.

Morel (knee) will start at third base and bat cleanup Sunday against the Pirates.

Morel exited in the fifth inning of Saturday's 10-9 loss to Pittsburgh with right knee soreness after he appeared to get hurt on a stolen base attempt in the top of the third. The injury looks to be a minor one, however, given that the 24-year-old is back in the lineup a day later. Morel has gone 8-for-34 with four home runs, 11 RBI and two stolen bases in May.

Miranda is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

Willi Castro will get the nod at third base Sunday, but Miranda had manned the hot corner each of the past five games while going 5-for-18 with two doubles and a walk. Until Byron Buxton (knee) returns from the injured list, Castro should see most of his starts in the outfield, creating an opening for Miranda to carve out at least semi-regular playing time at third base.