MLB Player News

Massey is starting at second base and batting cleanup for the Royals in Monday's contest against the Blue Jays.

Massey batted six and fifth in his other two starts but will slide into the cleanup spot with Salvador Perez receiving a day of rest. The second baseman is 1-for-9 with a double and a run scored in his first three games.

Frazier went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, a double and two runs scored in Sunday's loss to the Red Sox.

The 31-year-old infielder took Tanner Houck deep with a two-run shot in the fifth inning to put the Orioles on the board. Frazier later ripped a double in the ninth. He's gone 5-for-8 with five runs scored and four extra-base hits in his first two starts with Baltimore.

Drury will start at first base and bat fifth in Sunday's game against the Athletics, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

After taking a seat in Saturday's 13-1 win while a right-hander (Shintaro Fujinami) was on the hill, the righty-hitting Drury will re-enter the lineup against a lefty (Ken Waldichuk). The Angels haven't formally outlined their plans for Drury, but he looks as though he could end up filling the short side of a platoon at first base with the lefty-hitting Jake Lamb while Jared Walsh (head) is on the injured list.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said prior to Sunday's game that Lowe (toe) is available off the bench against the Tigers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe is out of the lineup Sunday after being removed from Saturday's game against Detroit with a right toe contusion, but his absence is precautionary, with Cash saying the infielder is likely to return to the lineup for Monday's contest against the Nationals. Fantasy players may want to make sure that he does suit up for that contest, but it's clear that Lowe is not dealing with a significant injury.

Espinal is hitting ninth and playing second base for Sunday's contest against St. Louis, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

It's the first start of the season for Espinal, and it's no surprise it comes against a left-hander in Jordan Montgomery as he's handled southpaws well over his brief career. Whit Merrifield is playing left with Espinal at the keystone, while Kevin Kiermaier gets a day of rest.

Lowe (toe) is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's contest against the Tigers, Steve Carney of StPeteNine.com reports.

Lowe left Sunday's game against the Tigers with a right toe contusion. The Rays may have sat the infielder even before the injury, as the team is going with an all right-handed lineup against southpaw Joey Wentz. Lowe is considered day-to-day, and he has a good chance to be back in the lineup for Monday's contest against the Nationals.

Hernandez went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run in Saturday's 9-8 win over the Orioles.

Hernandez's first home run of the season was one of four on the day for Boston and helped cut the Red Sox's deficit to two runs in an eventual come-from-behind, walkoff victory. The shortstop hit out of the No. 9 spot against right-handed pitching in the Red Sox's first two contests, but manager Alex Cora previously teased the idea of Hernandez serving as the team's leadoff hitter versus left-handed pitching. However, with southpaw Cole Irvin taking the hill for Baltimore on Sunday, Hernandez will climb just one spot in the batting order to No. 8.

Arroyo will start at second base and hit seventh in Sunday's game against the Orioles.

Though manager Alex Cora suggested just over a week ago that Arroyo and Enrique Hernandez would be the club's primary leadoff options versus lefty pitching, the two infielders will hit seventh and eighth, respectively, Sunday while Boston matches up against a southpaw (Cole Irvin) for the first time in the regular season. Left fielder Rob Refsnyder draws the leadoff assignment over Arroyo, who went 1-for-7 with a double and two RBI over the Red Sox's first two games.

Gimenez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a 2-0 victory versus the Mariners on Saturday.

There was little offense to be had in Saturday's pitching duel, so Gimenez's seventh-inning solo shot proved to be a valuable late-game insurance run. The long ball was the infielder's first of the campaign following last season's 17-homer performance. Gimenez has gone 3-for-10 through his first three contests in 2023.

Semien went 1-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Saturday's 16-3 win over the Phillies.

The second baseman got the rout started by driving the second pitch he saw from Zack Wheeler over the wall in right-center field in the first inning. Semien's 26 homers in 2022 were a bit of a disappointment after his 45-homer campaign the year before, but he made up for it with a career-high 25 steals. With one home run and one steal through the first two games of 2023, the 32-year-old could be a threat to deliver a 30-30 season.