MLB Player News

Gimenez is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Rays.

That's two missed games in a row for Gimenez, who is in the midst of a 10-for-24 streak at the dish over his last six games, so perhaps he is a little banged up. Gabriel Arias is starting at the keystone and hitting seventh.

Arroyo (illness) is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Orioles, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Arroyo hasn't played since Sept. 18 due to a non-COVID illness. Enrique Hernandez will shift to second base while Rob Refsnyder draws the start in center field.

Hernandez went 2-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored in Monday's 14-8 loss to Baltimore.

Hernandez was back in a familiar spot, leading off for Boston as Tommy Pham was given the day off. He's been filling in regularly for second baseman Trevor Story, whose heel injury was expected to keep him out only a few days but eventually landed him on the injured list.

Espinal (oblique) is doing some light baseball activity and hitting off a tee, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Espinal has been on the injured list with a left oblique strain since Thursday, but it's encouraging that he's begun some light work after a few days. The Blue Jays hope that the 27-year-old will be able to return late in the regular season so he can prepare for postseason play, but it's not yet clear whether he'll have enough time to ramp up prior to Oct. 5.

Merrifield will start at second base and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Yankees.

Since coming over in an Aug. 2 deadline deal with the Royals, Merrifield has largely served as a reserve infielder and outfielder, but Santiago Espinal's (oblique) recent move to the injured list has reopened an everyday role for the 33-year-old. Merrifield has made the most of the opportunity thus far, going 6-for-18 with three home runs, two doubles and a walk while scoring four times and driving in six over his last five starts. If he continues to rake as the season winds down, Merrifield could stick around as the Blue Jays' top second baseman even once Espinal is activated.

Arroyo (illness) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Orioles, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Arroyo hasn't played since Sept. 18 while he recovers from a non-COVID-19 illness, but the Red Sox have thus far resisted moving him to the 10-day injured list. With Trevor Story (heel) done for the season, Arroyo could have a fairly clear path to a near-everyday role in the middle infield once he eventually moves past his illness.

Massey went 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and two runs during Sunday's 13-12 win over the Royals.

Although the Mariners and Royals combined to score 25 runs during Sunday's matchup, Massey had the only home run of the game with his two-run blast in the bottom of the sixth inning. Although the 24-year-old's performance Sunday was encouraging, he's struggled at the plate recently, going just 1-for-16 with seven strikeouts over his four games leading up to Sunday's win.

Semien went 1-for-3 with two runs scored in Sunday's loss to the Guardians.

The veteran made the most of a single and a walk as he came around to score both times. He now has 18 runs scored in 23 September contests, during which he is batting .337 (32-for-95). On the season, Semien is slashing .254/.312/.438 with 78 RBI and 96 runs scored, which is tied for fifth in the majors.

Arroyo (illness) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Arroyo is dealing with a non-COVID illness and hasn't seen the field since Sept. 18. Yu Chang will start at second base and bat eighth in Sunday's series finale.

Gimenez is not in Sunday's lineup against the Rangers.

Gimenez is red-hot at the dish, hitting .417 with one home run and one steal over his last six games. Tyler Freeman gets the start at second base, hitting seventh.