MLB Player News

Diaz went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and an RBI sacrifice fly in a loss to the Twins on Sunday.

The young infielder opened the scoring with a 381-foot shot to left field in the second inning, his sixth homer of the campaign and second of July. Diaz had been mired in a brief 0-for-8 slump over the previous three games, but that had been preceded by a 6-for-12 tally in the three contests prior. As the entirety of that stretch underscores, the 22-year-old is subject to the inconsistencies of a young player adapting to big-league arms, but Diaz is carrying a serviceable .240 average and .430 slugging percentage through 105 plate appearances in the majors this season.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Hernandez has been playing "good shortstop" for the last month and is confident with him playing the position, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports. "I can say with confidence that we've turned that page a month ago," Cora said Saturday.

Hernandez's struggles have been well documented. He had 14 errors (12 throwing) and a minus-5 defensive runs saved over 470 innings prior to a start at shortstop Saturday. Cora said they spotted mechanical issues, which has been addressed, and has no issues using him going forward. Shortstop will be a rotation of sorts with Hernandez cycling in with Yu Chang, and potentially Pablo Reyes (abdomen) when he comes off the 10-day injured list.

Semien went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks and three total runs scored in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Guardians.

Semien set the table well as a leadoff batter, and Nathaniel Lowe twice brought him home on RBI singles. While Semien is hitting just .200 (9-for-45) in July, he's added a 9:5 BB:K across those 12 contests. The second baseman is up to 12 homers, 58 RBI, 75 runs scored, nine stolen bases and a .272/.342/.443 slash line through 94 games this season.

Altuve (oblique) ran the bases before Sunday's game against the Angels, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Manager Dusty Baker also said before Sunday's matchup that Altuve will travel with the Astros for their upcoming road trip to Colorado, so the second baseman will require more time before he's able to begin a rehab assignment. Altuve also took grounders at second base just before the All-Star break, so he's made encouraging progress over the past week.

Short is starting at second base and batting ninth in Sunday's game against the Mariners.

Short will make his first start after the All-Star break, with Zach McKinstry moving over to left field and Nick Maton starting at third base. The Tigers seem to have Spencer Torkelson and Javier Baez locked in at first and shortstop, respectively, but the other two infield positions are a bit more fluid. Short profiles more as a bench option, though he has a chance to see extended run at second if he heats up at the plate. He's batting just .211, however, and hasn't proven to be a dynamic offensive player to this point in his MLB career.

Merrifield went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's win over the Diamondbacks.

Merrifield singled to lead off the bottom of the second and went on to score the first of two runs for Toronto in the inning. He then came right back in his next at-bat and crushed a hanging changeup from Zac Gallen over the left field wall to lead off the fourth, putting the Blue Jays back on top 3-2. The second baseman has been highly efficient at the plate this month and now has recorded two hits in five of his last seven games. Four of his six home runs on the season have also come in July.

Remillard isn't in the White Sox's lineup Sunday against Atlanta, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Remillard is just 1-for-7 with three strikeouts since the All-Star break and will receive a day off for Sunday's series finale. Instead, Elvis Andrus will get the nod at second base and bat eighth.

Westburg isn't starting Sunday against the Marlins.

Westburg is 0-for-8 with four strikeouts since returning from the All-Star break, so he'll get a breather Sunday to regroup. Ramon Urias will start at third base and bat sixth while Westburg sits, and Adam Frazier will man second.

Dubon went 3-for-6 with one RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 13-12 extra-inning loss to the Angels.

Dubon has gone 4-for-11 with three RBI and three runs scored over two games to begin the second half. The 28-year-old continues to see a starting role at second base with Jose Altuve (oblique) out of action, but manager Dusty Baker may have to find a spot for Dubon if he stays hot once Altuve returns. Dubon owns a .282/.305/.396 slash line with four home runs, 24 RBI, 49 runs scored and six stolen bases through 311 plate appearances, though his 3.2 percent walk rate doesn't exactly stand out for the profile of a regular leadoff hitter.

Rengifo went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 13-12 extra-inning win over the Astros.

Rengifo opened the scoring in the second inning with the first of the Angels' four homers. The versatile 26-year-old began to lose some playing time ahead of the All-Star break, but he's made starts at second base and third base to open the second half. He should continue to move around defensively while hitting in the bottom half of the lineup. Rengifo owns a .217/.308/.335 slash line with six homers, 25 RBI, 31 runs scored and five stolen bases through 253 plate appearances.