MLB Player News

Polanco went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and another run scored in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Reds.

The infielder went deep for the third consecutive game and now sits at 18 home runs on the season. Polanco has been on a tear since the All-Star break, hitting .366 with five homers and 12 RBI in 17 games and raising his 2021 OPS to .811. After an underwhelming 2020, the 28-year-old is nearly matching the production from his stellar 2019 campaign.

Clement isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays.

Clement went just 1-for-9 across the last three games, and he'll get a chance to reset Wednesday. Owen Miller will start at the keystone and bat eighth.

Espinal isn't in the lineup Wednesday against Cleveland.

Espinal recently drew six consecutive starts, but he'll be out of the lineup for a second straight contest after he went 1-for-9 with a home run, two RBI, two walks and a strikeout in his last three appearances. Breyvic Valera will start at the hot corner and bat eighth.

The Red Sox optioned Arauz to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday.

Arauz was sent out to clear a roster spot for closer Matt Barnes (illness), who was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list. During his five-day stint with the big club, Arauz appeared in three games and went 2-for-6 with a walk.

Arraez will start at third base and bat cleanup Wednesday against the Reds.

Since returning from the injured list Saturday, Arraez has now picked up starts in all of the Twins' subsequent five games, with each opportunity coming at third base in place of the injured Josh Donaldson (hamstring). The Twins are still viewing Donaldson as day-to-day, so assuming he avoids the injured list, Arraez could soon be pushed into a utility role. Arraez's excellent bat-to-ball skills and ability to play multiple infield and outfield spots should allow him to hold down a near-everyday role, even if he doesn't have a true home at a position.

Polanco went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Reds.

He played hero in this one, taking Heath Hembree deep in the ninth inning to put the Twins in the lead for good. The blast extended Polanco's hitting streak to seven games while giving him three long balls in his last five, but he's been on a tear ever since the All-Star break, slashing .358/.394/.642 over his last 17 games.

Mayfield went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Tuesday against the Rangers.

Mayfield logged his only hit of the game in the sixth inning, when he delivered his fifth home run of the season. All of his long balls have come in his last 16 starts, though he still has only 12 hits across 54 plate appearances in that span. Overall, Mayfield has an ugly .189/.222/.389 line across 101 plate appearances on the campaign.

Ibanez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run Tuesday against the Angels.

Ibanez took Jose Suarez yard in the sixth inning for his fourth homer of the year. Three of his home runs have come in the last nine games, and he's seemingly taken over as the team's primary second baseman after the demotion of Nick Solak. Ibanez has impressively struck out at a mere 13.5 percent clip across 133 plate appearances this season, though he's still hitting just .230/.286/.385.

Hernandez is not in the lineup for Tuesday's series opener in Detroit, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Consecutive multi-hit performances have Hernandez hitting .333 with three extra-base hits and six runs in his last 10 games. Marwin Gonzalez, just activated from the injured list, is starting at second base and batting seventh.

Kemp is not starting Tuesday against the Padres and lefty Blake Snell.

Kemp sitting against the southpaw has been a common occurrence this season, but with the club having recently acquired Starling Marte and Josh Harrison, it's become all but a guarantee. That said, he still figures to see substantial time at second base and occasional time in the outfield against right-handers going forward.