MLB Player News

Merrifield went 1-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 3-0 win over Atlanta.

He scored Toronto's first run in the fifth inning on a George Springer single, giving Chris Bassitt all the support he would need as the veteran righty tossed a shutout. Merrifield has shrugged off a slow start to the season, and over his last 20 games he's batting .311 (23-for-74) with one homer, eight RBI, nine runs and six of his eight stolen bases on the year.

Lopez (appendicitis) is expected to start a rehab assignment with the Royals next week, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Lopez didn't travel with the team during its current road trip. The infielder will likely need a handful of games to get back into game shape, and he has a chance to return to the Kansas City lineup near the end of May.

Kemp is not in the starting lineup for Friday's tilt against Texas.

Kemp will take a seat against left-hander Martin Perez. Jordan Diaz will start his sixth straight game at second base and hit sixth.

Dubon (hamstring) is starting Friday against the White Sox.

Dubon sat out Wednesday against the Angels after exiting Tuesday's matchup with left hamstring discomfort. However, he was able to recover during the Astros' day off Thursday and will lead off in the series opener at Guaranteed Rate Field. Through eight games in May, he's hit .242 (8-for-33) with one steal, two RBI, four runs and seven strikeouts.

Massey is not in the lineup Friday versus the Brewers.

Massey homered Wednesday and Thursday against the White Sox, but the Royals will give him a breather during Friday night's series opener against the Brewers and ace right-hander Corbin Burnes. Maikel Garcia is playing second base and Hunter Dozier is at third.

Sosa was optioned Friday to Triple-A Charlotte.

Sosa gets the boot to clear out a 26-man roster spot for Yoan Moncada, who has been activated following a four-week absence with a lower-back injury. Sosa, 23, is slashing just .132/.145/.221 in 70 plate appearances this season at the major-league level.

Torres is in the designated hitter spot and batting leadoff for the Yankees in Friday's game versus the Rays.

Torres has mostly hit fourth or fifth this season, but the Yanks are switching things up in hopes of jumpstarting a slacking offense. Former leadoff hitter Anthony Volpe has moved down to seventh in the batting order. With Torres in the DH spot, Oswaldo Cabrera is handling second base.

Altuve (thumb) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Out all season following surgery to repair a fractured right thumb, Altuve resumed baseball activities last week and has progressed to the point of being game-ready. There's no word on how long his rehab assignment will last, but knowing Altuve he'll probably push to return as soon as possible.

Massey went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 4-3 win over the White Sox.

Massey opened the scoring with a solo shot to right field. It was his second consecutive game with a long ball after he failed to go deep in his first 30 contests this season. Massey showed some pop with 21 homers in High-A ball in 2021 and 20 between the minors and majors last year, but he's largely struggled this season with a .225/.274/.314 slash line and a 33.6 percent strikeout rate.

Semien went 1-for-4 with one homer, one RBI and one run scored in Thursday's 4-0 victory over the Athletics.

Semien launched a sixth-inning slider 421 feet for his seventh homer of the season. The Rangers' second baseman is tied for fifth in MLB with 31 RBI on the season despite hitting in the leadoff spot. Semien is rolling in May with a slash line of .364/.475/.545.