MLB Player News

Espinosa is not in Wednesday's lineup for the Angels contest against Detroit.

For the third time in the past four games, Espinosa will head to the bench. The second baseman went 0-for-4 during Tuesday's series opener against the Tigers and is batting just .150/.235/.281 this season. Cliff Pennington will take over at second base while batting eighth.

Motter went 2-for-4 with an RBI from a sacrifice fly in Tuesday's 12-3 win over the Twins. He also notched his seventh stolen base of the season.

Motter has put together a modest six-game hitting streak, posting a .368 average and .393 wOBA in 22 plate appearances over that span. The versatile utility man continues to see playing time all over the field, with the majority of his recent starts coming at shortstop in the wake of Jean Segura's absence with an ankle injury.

Semien (wrist) hit off a tee with his game bat Wednesday, the first time he has done so since undergoing surgery, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

It's another small but positive step in the recovery process for Semien, who is likely out until at least July as he continues to rebuild strength. The shortstop clearly has some monumental hurdles to clear before he's able to return to regular action, meaning Chad Pinder will continue receiving plenty of opportunities to prove his place.

Polanco was placed on the bereavement list Wednesday, MLB.com reports.

Polanco was a late scratch from Tuesday's lineup as he left to attend to the personal matters. He'll miss a minimum of three games and maximum of seven while out, as Ehire Adrianza and Eduardo Escobar fill in at shortstop in his absence. Kennys Vargas was recalled from Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move.

Polanco has temporarily left the Twins in order to return home to the Dominican Republic to attend to family matters, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Polanco was a late scratch from the lineup Tuesday and now we know why. He'll likely be away from the team for at least a couple of days. Eduardo Escobar and Ehire Adrianza will likely man the shortstop position in the meantime.

Polanco was scratched from the lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Mariners, Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

When the original lineups were released Tuesday, Polanco was penciled in as the team's starting shortstop. Manager Paul Moliter ultimately elected to make a lineup switch, replacing Polanco with Ehire Adrianza at shortstop. It's unclear if Polanco injured himself during warmups or if it was simply a strategical switch. We'll update his status if further information becomes available.

Semien (wrist) is being brought along slowly in his rehab and may not return until July, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports Monday.

This shouldn't come as much of a surprise, as Semien is on the 60-day disabled list and isn't eligible to return until mid-June anyway. Semien may not be able to count on a full-time job upon his return, as Chad Pinder has been raking at shortstop in his absence, posting a .904 OPS and seven home runs over 30 games.

Merrifield will start at second base and lead off Monday against the Astros, Julia Morales of Root Sports Southwest reports.

After extending his hitting streak to 19 games with a trio of singles Sunday against the Indians, Merrifield will be rewarded with a move up in the lineup. He'll jump from the sixth spot to the leadoff position, bumping Alcides Escobar down to the bottom third of the order.

Merrifield went 3-for-4, raising his average to .307, in Sunday's 8-0 loss to the Indians.

Merrifield is riding a 19-game hitting streak, the longest in the majors this season. Since May 13, the second baseman is 27-for-66 (.409) with three home runs, nine RBI, 10 runs and four stolen bases. After not making the Opening Day roster, Merrifield is now making a case to represent the Royals on the AL All-Star team.

Espinosa is out of the lineup Sunday against the Twins, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

For the second straight game, Espinosa will cede a start at the keystone to Cliff Pennington, who lacks the pop of Espinosa, but offers a more contact-oriented approach at the plate. Espinosa's 34.9 percent strikeout rate has played a large part in his batting average sitting at just .154 on the season, and he's unlikely to curb the whiffs enough to notice much recovery in that category, even if his depressed .211 BABIP rebounds a bit.