MLB Player News

Kemp is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.

The lefty-hitting Kemp will take a seat with southpaw Andrew Heaney on the bump, but Kemp's opportunities to play regularly against right-handed pitching could soon take a hit as well. With Aledmys Diaz (hamstring) returning from the injured list Sunday, the Athletics have one less infield spot available in the regular lineup versus righties. Since rookie Jordan Diaz has seemingly played his way into a full-time role and because fellow veteran Jace Peterson holds a 122-point advantage in OPS for the season (.607 to .485), Kemp looks like he could find himself as the odd man out of the lineup more often than not.

Hernandez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Hernandez started the last 11 games but will receive a day off after he posted a .460 OPS during that stretch. Pablo Reyes will take over at shortstop in Sunday's series finale versus St. Louis.

Gimenez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 8-6 win over the Angels.

Gimenez added an insurance run with his eighth-inning solo shot, which capped a six-run rally for the Guardians. Over his previous 10 games, the second baseman went 6-for-34 (.176) with one extra-base hit, a triple and two RBI. He's slashing .231/.299/.366 with three homers, nine RBI, 22 runs scored and six stolen bases through 37 contests.

Rosario went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in Saturday's 8-6 win over the Angels.

Rosario kept his bat hot in Saturday's win with his third multi-hit effort in his last four games. The shortstop is slashing .270/.306/.387 with a home run, seven steals, eight RBI and 19 runs scored through 33 contests. He was hitting .225 as recently as May 8.

Ibanez is starting at third base and batting sixth in Sunday's game against the Mariners.

Ibanez will be making his fifth straight start at the hot corner as he's become the primary option there ahead of the struggling Nick Maton. Ibanez has done well at the plate with a .293 batting average and a home run across 14 games. The 30-year-old has yet to have sustained success at the MLB level, though it looks like he's getting a chance in Detroit to show what he can do.

Torres is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

Torres started the past 17 contests and will receive a day off after he posted a .235/.284/.500 slash line with six doubles, four homers, 12 RBI and 13 runs during that stretch. Oswaldo Cabrera will move to second base while Jake Bauers starts in left field Sunday.

The Orioles recalled Ortiz from Triple-A Norfolk prior to Sunday's game against the Pirates.

In a corresponding move, Baltimore optioned reliever Nick Vespi to Triple-A to facilitate Ortiz's move to the big club for the second time this season. In his abbreviated stint with the Orioles in late April, Ortiz appeared in three games and went 2-for-8 with four RBI and a run. Though the 24-year-old is one of several intriguing Baltimore infield prospects, he may not be in line for anything more than short-side platoon work while all of Jorge Mateo, Gunnar Henderson and Adam Frazier are healthy. However, Ortiz will immediately slide into the starting nine at shortstop Sunday versus Pittsburgh.

Merrifield went 0-for-2 with two walks, an RBI, a run scored and three stolen bases in Saturday's 5-2 win over Atlanta.

The 34-year-old got off to a slow start on the basepaths this season, but Merrifield seems to have figured out that stealing is easier than ever in 2023. He's now 11-for-12 on stolen base attempts through 32 games, including seven pilfers in the last seven contests thanks to a pair of three-steal performances. His .284 batting average and .341 OBP would also be his best marks since 2019, but he isn't yet showing much power, swatting just one homer with a .388 SLG.

Polanco went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 11-1 rout of the Cubs.

He took Hayden Wesneski deep in the fifth inning, one of five Minnesota homers on the day. Polanco snapped a 12-game homer drought with the performance, and he's still struggling to find his timing after his delayed start to the season. Through 20 games, he's slashing .259/.276/.424 with three home runs, 12 RBI and a 2:22 BB:K.

Semien went 1-for-3 with one RBI, one run scored and two steals in Saturday's win over the Athletics.

Semien ran wild in the first frame, leading off with a single to center and eventually swiping both second and third base to bump his season total up to seven steals. He was rewarded for the effort, as a Nathaniel Lowe single brought him around to score and get the Rangers on the board. As the leadoff man for MLB's top scoring offense, Semien remains an elite fantasy option, with the third most runs scored and fifth most RBI in MLB while making significant contributions in home runs and steals.