MLB Player News

Frazier entered Thursday's win over the Rangers as a pinch hitter in the top of the eighth inning and remained in the game at shortstop, going 1-for-2 with a run.

Frazier's pinch-hit appearance culminated in a single to right center, and he ultimately came around to score when Julio Rodriguez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. The All-Star break may be coming at an inopportune time for Frazier, who boasts a .357/.345/.464 slash line over his last eight games and has hit safely in four straight.

Hernandez (hip) visited a hip specialist in New York on Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

The visit was to determine if there's a more serious issue in Hernandez's hip. The Red Sox shut down the outfielder's rehab assignment after one game due to lingering discomfort.

Rosario went 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Tigers.

Rosario has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, going 14-for-32 (.438) in that span. Four of those hits (three doubles, one home run) have gone for extra bases. The shortstop had a bit of a slump in early July, but he's bounced back well over the last week-plus. He's slashing .290/.327/.402 with four homers, nine stolen bases, 27 RBI, 49 runs scored, 15 doubles and five triples through 82 games this year.

Gimenez went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, two RBI and a walk in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Tigers.

Gimenez accounted for half of the Guardians' run production. He hit an RBI double in the third inning and a solo shot in the eighth. The second baseman was in a bit of a slump entering Thursday, going 1-for-12 in his previous five games, which has seen him lose some playing time to Owen Miller. Gimenez is up to 10 homers, seven stolen bases, 42 RBI, 31 runs scored and a .294/.354/.480 slash line in 77 contests. At a minimum, he'll continue to play regularly versus right-handed pitchers.

Haggerty went 3-for-4 with an inside-the-park home run and three total runs scored in Thursday's 6-5 win over the Rangers.

His drive to center field bounced in front of and past Rangers' Leody Taveras, and Haggerty turned on the jets from there. It was just the second homer of the year for the outfielder, who has a pair of three-hit efforts in his last five games. He's slashing .283/.327/.478 with five RBI, nine runs scored and three stolen bases through 49 plate appearances. The switch-hitter doesn't have a clear path to everyday at-bats, but he should challenge the righty-hitting Dylan Moore for playing time in right field in the immediate future.

Altuve was removed from Thursday's game against the Angels with a left leg contusion, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Altuve was hit by a pitch in the first inning and managed to come around to score before exiting the game. He is officially considered day-to-day.

Altuve exited Thursday's game against the Angels in the first inning after being hit by a pitch in the leg, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Altuve was hit by the pitch to begin the game. He limped to first base and came around to score, but he was removed in the bottom half of the frame. Mauricio Dubon entered the game to play second base and hit atop the Houston order.

Frazier isn't starting Thursday's game against the Rangers.

Frazier recorded hits in six of the last seven games and hit .346 with a homer, three runs, two RBI and a stolen base across that span. Dylan Moore is shifting to second base while Sam Haggerty starts in right field Thursday.

The Royals selected Massey's contract from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.

Massey will be one of the initial eight minor leaguers that joins the Royals on Thursday after 10 players on the 26-man active roster weren't eligible to make the trip to Toronto for the four-game series with the Blue Jays due to their vaccination statuses. A 2019 fourth-round pick, Massey arrives in the big leagues for the first time after producing an excellent .317/.373/.535 slash line between stops at Omaha and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. The 24-year-old's only defensive experience in the minors comes at second base and third base, so he'll likely serve as the primary backup at those positions to Nicky Lopez and Emmanuel Rivera, respectively, during his stay in the majors.

The Royals placed Merrifield (toe) on the restricted list Thursday.

Merrifield saw his streak of 553 consecutive games played come to an end Monday, when he wasn't available for Game 1 of the Royals' doubleheader with the Tigers due to swelling and a bone bruise to a ligament in his right big toe. He proceeded to miss the remaining three games of the series with Detroit and wasn't expected to be available before the All-Star break, but the Royals likely chose to forgo placing him on the injured list knowing that he would land on the restricted list Thursday. Since he's unvaccinated and therefore ineligible to cross the Canadian border, Merrifield won't accompany the Royals to Toronto even though he wasn't on track to play anyway. He'll be reinstated from the restricted list coming out of the All-Star break, at which point he could revert to the IL if he needs more time to recover from the toe injury.