MLB Player News

Diaz isn't in the Athletics' lineup Saturday against Colorado.

After a 2-for-5 performance Friday in which he drove in an RBI, Diaz will take a seat to begin Saturday's contest. In his place, Jace Peterson will start at the hot corner and bat seventh.

Lopez went 0-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 8-5 extra-inning win over the Twins.

The steal was Lopez's first since May 29. He's got decent speed, though he's had trouble getting on base lately, as he's hitting just .143 over 10 contests since the All-Star break. Lopez lacks an everyday place in the lineup, instead serving as depth in the infield and left field. He has a poor .210/.322/.280 slash line with four steals, 13 RBI, 18 runs scored, five doubles and three triples through 67 contests, and he's yet to hit a home run this season.

Drury (shoulder) said Saturday that he will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake this week and hopes to return Thursday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Drury has been on the injured list since July 2 with inflammation in his left shoulder and appears to finally be nearing the end of his rehab process. The 30-year-old infielder is slashing .277/.322/.500 with 14 homers and 45 RBI on the season and figures to resume everyday duties once he returns from his assignment.

Ibanez isn't in the Tigers' lineup Saturday against the Marlins.

Ibanez is 4-for-17 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored across his last five games and will get a day off Saturday. Nick Maton will take over at second base and bat seventh while Ibanez rests.

Merrifield went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a second run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 4-1 win over the Angels.

After swiping a bag in the sixth inning he took Jose Soriano deep in the seventh, giving Merrifield eight homers and 21 steals on the season to go with his .305/.354/.425 slash line. The 34-year-old moved up to the leadoff spot Friday, with George Springer shifting down to the five hole, and Merrifield could get a long look at the top of the order given his initial success.

Caballero went 0-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Caballero was in the lineup for the first time in a week, and he has picked up just one at-bat during that stretch of riding pine. The second baseman has again lost out on playing time to Kolten Wong, and it appears Dylan Moore has also passed Caballero on the depth chart. Nonetheless, Caballero offers some speed -- he has six steals over 14 contests in July, and he's up to 17 thefts on the year. He's added a middling .224/.351/.327 slash line over 202 plate appearances.

Lowe went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run and a stolen base in Friday's 4-3 victory over the Astros.

Lowe is beginning to tap into his power again after he endured a power outage in his first couple weeks back from the injured list. He has two homers in his last three games, bringing him up to 12 on the season. The second baseman stole a base after being hit by a pitch in the sixth inning, his fifth steal this season, which sets him up to potentially establish a new career high (his best is seven) in the category before season's end.

Arroyo is not in the lineup Friday at San Francisco.

Justin Turner will make a second straight start at second base and might become more of a regular presence there for Boston down the stretch, although the return of Trevor Story (elbow) figures to shuffle the Boston infield once again. Arroyo has slashed just .247/.276/.379 in 193 plate appearances when healthy this season.

Minnesota activated Polanco (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list Friday.

Polanco will be back in action with the Twins on Friday night against the Royals after slashing .333/.448/.500 over 29 plate appearances on a seven-game minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul. The 30-year-old infielder has battled multiple leg injuries this season, but he typically produces solid offensive numbers when his health cooperates. Polanco could find himself returning to a utility role however, with rookie Edouard Julien having thrived as Minnesota's starting second baseman in his absence.

Merrifield is batting leadoff Friday against the Angels, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Normal leadoff man George Springer has been dropped to the fifth spot in the batting order amidst a slump. Merrifield has earned his ascension to the top of the order by putting up a .968 OPS with five home runs and two stolen bases in July.