MLB Player News

Merrifield isn't in the Blue Jays' lineup for Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader against the White Sox.

Merrifield broke out of his slump at the plate Tuesday -- going 2-for-4 with two RBI -- and he'll get a breather during Toronto's first game Thursday. Cavan Biggio will fill in at the keystone and bat seventh.

Arroyo isn't in the Red Sox's lineup Thursday against the Rangers, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Arroyo is 4-for-11 with two runs scored across his last three games, but he'll take a seat for Thursday's series finale. Enrique Hernandez will fill in at second base and bat seventh.

Short will start at second base and bat eighth in Thursday's game against the Athletics.

Short will pick up his third consecutive start at second base after reaching base twice in seven plate appearances in the first two games of the series with Oakland. Though his playing time has been trending up of late, Short will likely find himself as one of the odd men out of the lineup by the weekend, when Detroit is expected to get two regulars back from the injured list in Akil Baddoo (quadriceps) and Riley Greene (fibula).

Kemp went 2-for-4 with a two-run single, a stolen base and a run in a win over the Tigers on Wednesday.

Kemp extended the Athletics' lead to 7-0 with his sixth-inning single, which brought home JJ Bleday and Shea Langeliers. The veteran added his eighth stolen base of the campaign, with half of those coming in the last six contests. Kemp is also finally on the precipice of getting his season average over the Mendoza Line -- his fourth multi-hit effort in the last five games pushed that figure to .199, which represents a 53-point improvement since June 11.

Lowe went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI and a walk Wednesday against the Phillies.

Lowe started his second consecutive game since returning from the injured list. In those two contests, he's shown both the good and bad in his profile, as he's gone 3-for-7 with two extra-base knocks along with three strikeouts. For the season, Lowe has a .197 ISO, but a 31.6 percent punchout rate has limited him to a .213 average across 209 plate appearances.

Julien went 1-for-2 with a walk and a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-0 win over the Royals.

Getting the start at second base and batting second, the 24-year-old rookie took Alec Marsh deep in the first inning to give Pablo Lopez all the run support he would need. Julien has gone yard in consecutive games to give him six homers on the season, and since rejoining the big-league lineup June 10 he's slashing .290/.375/.484, albeit with a less impressive three RBI and nine runs in 21 contests.

Diaz went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and two additional runs scored in Wednesday's 12-3 victory over the Tigers.

Diaz is now 5-for-14 in three games since he was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas. Overall, the 22-year-old Diaz is slashing .241/.276/.434 with five homers, 10 RBI and 12 runs scored across 87 MLB plate appearances this season. The rookie infielder has flashed some power early in his career, though it's unclear how big of a role Diaz will have in his second stint with the A's.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Wednesday that a decision hasn't been made regarding whether Altuve (oblique) will go on the 10-day injured list, but the second baseman could be held out of the lineup through the All-Star break, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports. "I don't think there's any rush to bring him back," Brown said.

After he tweaked his left oblique during batting practice Tuesday, Altuve was sent in for an MRI on Wednesday, and the Astros plan to review the results of those tests Thursday before determining whether the 33-year-old will require a trip to the IL. Mauricio Dubon has started at second base in Altuve's stead over the past two games and appears likely to hold down a regular spot in the lineup the rest of the week, barring Altuve showing dramatic improvement. Since Altuve last played Monday, he would still be eligible to return for the Astros' first game after the break July 14 against the Angels if Houston decides to place him on the IL.

Bannon (finger) is slashing .256/.375/.385 across 11 games since being reinstated from Triple-A Sugar Land's 7-day injured list June 20.

Bannon had been on the shelf for just under two months due to a fractured right index finger. The 27-year-old utility man has logged 151 plate appearances overall at Sugar Land this season, batting .252 with six home runs and four stolen bases.

Altuve (oblique) will undergo an MRI on Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Altuve tweaked his left oblique during batting practice Tuesday and will now get checked out to determine the severity. He also dealt with an oblique issue last month, missing four games but ultimately avoiding the injured list. The Astros might play things more cautiously this time around, but we'll have to wait and see what the MRI says.