MLB Player News

Castro went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs in Wednesday's win over the Twins.

Castro entered the contest with just one home run this season across 24 games, and he only had three long balls in 106 games last year, so the power outburst was definitely unexpected. The three-hit effort wasn't as rare, however, as the utility man did that as recently as May 15. Castro is now batting .301 for the season, and while the power won't always be there, he's certainly proven himself to be a capable hitter at the MLB level.

Ibanez isn't starting Wednesday against the Angels.

Ibanez has gone just 1-for-17 with a walk and four strikeouts over his last six games, and he'll take a seat for the third time in the last five matchups. Charlie Culberson will start at the hot corner and bat eighth.

Andrus went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs in a win over the Mariners on Tuesday.

Both of the veteran's hits actually culminated with runs crossing the plate for the Athletics, but his seventh-inning single, which resulted in Sean Murphy scoring the go-ahead run, came as a result of Jesse Winker's error in left field. Andrus' season line is still a lackluster .227/.303/.328, yet he boasts a .316 average and .828 OPS across his last 13 games.

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

With southpaw Robbie Ray on the hill for Seattle, the lefty-hitting Kemp will take a seat for the series finale after going 3-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and three runs out of the leadoff spot in Tuesday's win. Sheldon Neuse will spell Kemp at the keystone in Wednesday's matinee.

Manager Rocco Baldelli said Wednesday that Polanco is dealing with some slight soreness in his right ankle, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

The 28-year-old is out of the lineup for a second consecutive game Wednesday against the Tigers, and his absence is related to an ankle issue. However, Baldelli said the team isn't concerned about Polanco's injury and is hopeful the second baseman will be fine after spending a few days off the field.

Polanco isn't starting Wednesday against Detroit.

After starting in all but one of the first 42 games of the season, Polanco will be out of the lineup for a second straight game after he went 1-for-4 with a run and two strikeouts in Monday's series opener against the Tigers. The Twins haven't given any indication that Polanco is dealing with an injury, but Nick Gordon will start at the keystone and bat eighth Wednesday.

Altuve went 2-for-4 with two runs scored Tuesday against the Guardians.

Altuve collected a single in both the third and fifth frames and scored on each occasion. He has at least one hit in nine of his last 10 games and maintained a .357 average with four home runs, five RBI and 10 runs scored in that span. Overall, Altuve has an excellent .936 OPS and .405 wOBA across 126 plate appearances.

Hernandez went 2-for-6 with a solo home run and a second RBI and run scored in Tuesday's 16-3 win over the White Sox.

Hernandez got the game-opening onslaught started with a home run off Dylan Cease. The Red Sox went on to post season highs in runs and hits. Hernandez is batting .200 for the season, but he's hit safely in 10 of the last 11 games, during which he's slashing .292/.352/.479 with seven extra-base hits, seven RBI and 10 runs scored.

Torres went 2-for-5 with two solo home runs and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 7-6 extra-innings win over the Orioles.

The infielder launched two of the Yankees' four solo shots off Baltimore starter Bruce Zimmermann, but Torres' biggest contribution came in the 11th inning as he crossed the plate as the phantom runner to tie the game and set up Jose Trevino's walkoff hit. Torres snapped an 11-game homer drought with the performance, and on the season he's slashing .241/.285/.451 with seven home runs and 21 RBI through 40 games.

Ibanez started at third base and went 0-for-3 in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the Angels.

Ibanez is batting just .050 (2-for-40) over 14 games since May 4. Texas third basemen rank last in the majors with a -0.8 WAR, so it's fair wonder when they make a change. Ibanez has started 20 of the team's 41 games at third base while also playing seven at DH, six at first base and two at second.