MLB Player News

Valdez will start at second base and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Guardians, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Valdez will make a fourth consecutive start at the keystone after going 3-for-12 with a pair of doubles and two runs since returning to the big leagues April 25. His uptick in playing time has come with Christian Arroyo sitting out games Wednesday and Friday with a hamstring injury, while Enrique Hernandez has been on the bench Saturday and Sunday with what's believed to be an undisclosed physical issue. Unless Hernandez requires a stint on the injured list, Valdez could move into a reserve role before long.

Lopez is out of the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.

Lopez has been swinging the bat better as of late with hits in three of his last four appearances, but he's one of several regulars for the Royals who are getting Sunday off. Hunter Dozier is getting the start at third base with Matt Duffy lined up at second.

Arroyo will start at shortstop and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Guardians, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

After going 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs and two RBI in his return from a hamstring injury in Saturday's 8-7 win, Arroyo will get another start at shortstop for the series finale. Though Enrique Hernandez is eventually expected to reclaim a regular role at shortstop, Arroyo may still have a path to regular playing time at second base while all of Trevor Story (elbow), Adalberto Mondesi (knee) and Yu Chang (wrist) are several weeks away from returning from the injured list.

Massey is not in the starting lineup Sunday against the Twins.

Massey has just one hit over his last four games while going 1-for-14 in the process. The infielder will take a seat with Matt Duffy getting the start at second base Sunday.

Hernandez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Hernandez is out of the starting lineup for the second straight game, and there's been no report of an injury at this time. Christian Arroyo will handle shortstop duties while Enmanuel Valdez plays second base with Jarren Duran lined up in center field.

The Orioles optioned Ortiz to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday.

After receiving his first MLB call-up Thursday, Ortiz proceeded to make three consecutive starts at second base and went a collective 2-for-8 with a run scored and four RBI. The right-handed-hitting infielder appears to have just been up with the Orioles while the team faced a stretch of three straight left-handed pitchers, so he'll head back to Triple-A with Baltimore bringing up an extra left-handed bat (Kyle Stowers) from Norfolk in a corresponding move.

Short went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Orioles.

Called up Saturday morning to be the 27th man on the roster for the twin bill, Short got the start at his namesake position and batted ninth in the matinee. The 27-year-old rose to the occasion, taking DL Hall deep in the eighth inning for his first big-league homer since August of 2021, and after Short came off the bench in the nightcap to draw a walk and score a run, Detroit rewarded him by keeping him in the majors and sending Tyler Nevin back to Triple-A Toledo in his place. Short isn't going to unseat Javier Baez, but he could carve out a utility role -- in 21 games for Toledo prior to his promotion, he saw action at second base, center field and left field in addition to his natural position at shortstop.

Andrus went 0-for-2 with two walks and a stolen base Friday against the Rays.

Andrus was hitless for the fifth time in his last six starts and managed his first walk since April 21. He added some additional value by stealing second base in the sixth inning -- his fourth stolen bag of the campaign. Overall, he's hitting only .183/.260/.215 on the season with six RBI and seven runs scored across 104 plate appearances.

Merrifield is out of the starting lineup Saturday versus the Mariners.

Cavan Biggio will play second base and bat eighth against the Mariners and right-hander Easton McGee. Daulton Varsho is in left field and George Springer is in right.

Hernandez is not in the lineup Saturday against the Guardians.

Christian Arroyo is playing shortstop and batting eighth, with Emmanuel Valdez covering second base and hitting seventh. This appears to be a routine day of rest for Hernandez, who is slashing .245/.318/.398 with three home runs and one stolen base through 110 plate appearances this year for Boston.