MLB Player News

Altuve is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Twins, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Altuve will get a day of rest for the first time in six games. The infielder will grab a seat on the bench with Mauricio Dubon getting the start at second base and hitting leadoff against Louie Varland and Minnesota. Since returning from the fractured thumb that caused him to miss the first six-plus weeks of the season, Altuve has slashed .324/.425/.588 with two homers and six RBI over 34 at-bats.

Angels manager Phil Nevin said Drury is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's series finale with the White Sox while he tends to some swelling on his arm, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

Drury picked up the injury in his ninth-inning plate appearance during the Angels' 7-3 loss Tuesday, when he was hit by a Kendall Graveman pitch. He stayed in the game and underwent precautionary X-rays after the game, which returned negative. Nevin seemed to suggest that Drury is getting more of a rest day Wednesday, as the Angels want to ensure that the veteran infielder is available for all four games of the team's series in Houston that begins Thursday. Livan Soto will get the starting nod at second base Wednesday while Drury gets a day off to recover from the minor arm injury.

Kemp is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Atlanta.

The lefty-hitting Kemp will predictably hit the bench with southpaw Jared Shuster on the bump for Atlanta on Wednesday, but the 31-year-old infielder also sat out Monday and Tuesday, when Oakland faced right-handers Michael Soroka and Bryce Elder. At this point, Kemp appears to have lost hold of a strong-side platoon role at second base while he's sporting a lowly .455 OPS over 162 plate appearances on the season.

Drury is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

Drury will head to the bench for the first time since May 21, breaking a streak of eight consecutive starts. Livan Soto will step in at second base in place of Drury, who has slashed .256/.313/.500 with four home runs, 10 RBI and 12 runs over 24 games in May.

Ibanez remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

Ibanez has been a fairly consistent part of the Detroit lineup since late April, but he appears to have fallen out of favor after going 3-for-48 at the plate over his last 15 games. Even with the Tigers moving two everyday players in Riley Greene (fibula) and Matt Vierling (back) to the injured list within the past two days, Ibanez will still find himself on the bench for the fourth time in six games.

Short will start at third base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

Short will stick in the lineup for the fifth game in a row, and after producing a 1.012 OPS over the past four contests, he looks like he'll stick around in a near-everyday role while the Tigers deal with a host of injuries. With outfielders Riley Greene (fibula) and Matt Vierling (back) both landing on the 10-day injured list within the past two days, Zach McKinstry is expected to see more time in right field moving forward, opening up room in the infield for Short. The 28-year-old Short will likely rotate between second and third base, with his position depending on whether Nick Maton is included in the lineup on a given day.

Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, one double, an additional RBI, an additional run scored and one steal in Tuesday's 7-3 victory over the Angels.

Gonzalez continued his tear at the plate, swatting his third home run in as many games while also swiping his third bag of the season. Since being activated from the IL on May 13, Gonzalez owns a .323 average with three homers, 11 RBI and six runs scored. Though his recent play has been quite encouraging, Gonzalez will likely return to a backup role upon the return of Elvis Andrus (oblique), which is expected to come later this week.

Ibanez went 1-for-2 with a solo home run after entering the game as pinch hitter in Tuesday's 10-6 loss to the Rangers.

Ibanez was forced into action when Riley Greene (leg) left the contest in the third inning. The former took over at second base, with Zack Short sliding over to center field in place of Greene. Ibanez was in a 1-for-40 slump coming into Tuesday and was starting to see his playing time decrease, though he could regain an elevated role if Greene is out for a while.

Kemp isn't starting Tuesday against Atlanta.

Kemp hasn't recorded a hit in his last 14 at-bats, so he will begin Tuesday's contest in the dugout as Oakland searches for offensive production. Aledmys Diaz will take over at second base Tuesday and bat fourth.

Short is starting at second base and batting leadoff Tuesday against the Rangers.

He could be used fairly regularly in the leadoff spot versus left-handed pitching while Matt Vierling (back) is sidelined. Short is sporting a nifty .937 OPS with three home runs in 20 games with the big club, although his track record suggest the success is likely to be short-lived (no pun intended).