MLB Player News

Altuve went 1-for-5 with a stolen base during Friday night's 6-5 loss to the Phillies in Game 1 of the World Series.

Altuve had a rough time at the plate Friday night, but he was able to single with two outs in the ninth inning and steal second base off Seranthony Dominguez, putting the potential winning run in scoring position. This marked Altuve's first steal of the playoffs after he stole 18 during the regular season, but he's hitting just .108 across 37 at-bats in the postseason with only one extra-base hit.

Julien wrapped up the 2022 season with a .300/.441/.490 slash line, 17 homers, 19 steals and a 98:125 BB:K across 113 contests, all for Double-A Wichita.

He's gone on to play 10 games in the Arizona Fall League thus far, slashing .363/.544/.636 with a pair of homers, a steal and a 13:10 BB:K. All in all, this has been a spectacular breakout year for Julien, who flew under the radar in 2021 as an over-aged prospect in Single-A and High-A despite putting up a .914 OPS with 18 homers and 34 swipes. Few are sleeping on the 23-year-old now, after he posted one of the most remarkable walk rates you'll ever see from a prospect (19.3 percent) alongside his power and speed contributions. If Julien keeps doing his thing in Triple-A in 2023, it's hard to see how he doesn't find his way to the big leagues by midseason.

Torres (illness) will bat third and start at second base in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Guardians on Tuesday.

Torres missed the tail end of the regular season due to an illness, but the Yankees' time off during the wild-card round allowed him to get fully healthy. He'll need to play a significant role in the ALDS, as DJ LeMahieu was left off the roster due to a foot fracture.

Merrifield left Saturday's game against Seattle after taking a pitch off his helmet, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

Merrifield initially stayed in the game to run the bases but was replaced by Raimel Tapia when the Blue Jays took the field. The fact that the team was leading by seven runs and inserted one of its better outfield defenders suggests that the move may have been at least somewhat tactical rather than purely injury-related.

Espinal (oblique) was activated from the 10-day injured list and included on the Blue Jays' wild-card roster, Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star reports.

Espinal will return to the active roster just in time for the Blue Jays' wild-card series with the Mariners, which starts Friday. The 27-year-old missed the last couple weeks of the season while dealing with an oblique issue, but he'll now operate in a utility role for Toronto in the postseason. Espinal produced a .267 average with seven homers, 51 RBI, 51 runs and six stolen bases over 135 games during the regular season.

Brujan went 1-for-2 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Brujan was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Monday and appeared in all three of the Rays' games to close the regular season. He entered the game Wednesday in the fifth inning as a pinch runner and then remained in the contest to take Ryan Brasier yard to tally his third homer of the season. Brujan struggled across 162 plate appearances this year, maintaining just a .163/.228/.259 line with five stolen bases.

Merrifield is out of the lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Orioles.

Merrifield will take a seat after starting each of the last 13 games, including the Blue Jays' 5-4 loss in Game 1 of the twin bill. He went 1-for-5 in the early game to finish the regular season with a .251/.299/.376 slash line across 548 plate appearances. Otto Lopez will replace Merrifield at second base in Game 2.

Frazier is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

Southpaw Tyler Alexander is on the hill for Detroit in the regular-season finale, so the lefty-hitting Frazier will check out of the starting nine. Frazier picked up starts in both corner-outfield spots during Tuesday's doubleheader sweep of Detroit, going a collective 2-for-7 with two runs and an RBI.

Torres (illness) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.

Torres will close the regular season with five consecutive absences from the lineup while he continues to recover from flu-like symptoms. Fortunately for Torres, the Yankees have secured a bye during the wild-card round, so Torres should be ready to go when New York begins its ALDS matchup Oct. 11.

Clement is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Clement started each of the Athletics' last three games, going 1-for-12 with a double and a run. He's produced just one hit in 17 at-bats since being activated by the Athletics on Sept. 24 after the team claimed him off waivers from Cleveland.