MLB Player News

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.

Polanco is out of the lineup Sunday against the Angels, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

An 0-for-4 showing Saturday dropped Polanco's on-base percentage below .300 for the season, but thanks to his strong defense up the middle and skills as a contact hitter, the 23-year-old doesn't look to be in much danger of giving up his everyday role. Polanco will just get a day off to clear his mind, with the lightly-used Ehire Adrianza subbing in for him at shortstop.

Altuve went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs in Saturday's 6-5 win over Texas.

Altuve's eighth-inning home run off Keone Kela proved to be the difference in a one-run win for the Astros. The long ball was Altuve's third hit of the game, something he's been doing with regularity over the last week. In his last seven games, Altuve has three or more hits four times, and he now ranks fourth in the majors in hits. During the mini hit streak, he is 17-for-31 (.548) with six RBI. He's one of the premier offensive options out there, and he's red hot right now.

Andrus went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, two runs, three RBI and a stolen base in a 6-5 loss to the Astros on Saturday.

Andrus really filled up the boxscore Saturday. He now has a nine-game hitting streak, and he's collected three hits in four of those games. During the streak, he is 18-for-39 (.462) with 11 RBI. Andrus has also started running again during the hot streak, stealing six bases to bring his total to 13 for the season. His 32 RBI ranks second in the American League among shortstops.