MLB Player News

Merrifield went 1-for-3 with two RBI in Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the White Sox.

Merrifield hit an RBI single in the sixth and tied the game at 3-3 with a sacrifice fly in the seventh. He's hit safely in three of the last four contests, but he's just 3-for-18 in that span. Manager Mike Matheny has shuffled his lineup a bit since Opening Day, with Merrifield now hitting second against right-handed pitchers, which could allow him a few more chances to generate RBI. He's slashing .136/.171/.167 with four RBI, two runs scored, three stolen bases and two doubles through 16 games.

Ibanez isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Astros.

Ibanez will get a chance to rest after going 2-for-5 with a strikeout in his last two appearances. Brad Miller will start at the hot corner and bat ninth.

Espinal isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.

Espinal is in the midst of a five-game hitting streak in which he's gone 7-for-17 with two homers, two doubles, five RBI and four runs. He'll get a day off while Gosuke Katoh starts at the keystone and bats eighth.

Torres went 1-for-4 with a triple and three RBI in Tuesday's 12-8 victory over Baltimore.

Torres started at DH and got plenty of value out of his lone hit of the game, stroking a bases-clearing triple in the seventh inning. It was the infielder's first triple since his rookie 2018 campaign. Torres has gotten at least one hit in each of his past five games and is slashing .462/.500/.692 with four RBI over that span.

Merrifield will start at second base and bat second in Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

After going a collective 1-for-10 with six strikeouts at the dish while starting both of the past two games out of the leadoff spot while the Royals opposed left-handed pitchers, Merrifield will drop down a spot in the order with Chicago bringing a right-hander (Dylan Cease) to the hill. Though Merrifield doesn't appear in any jeopardy of dropping lower than second in the order, he's undoubtedly been a disappointment for fantasy managers who were banking on him being a stabilizer in the batting-average category. He's hitting just .127 heading into Wednesday's contest, but a .151 BABIP and a Statcast-measured .243 expected batting average suggest that Merrifield is due for some considerable correction in that category.

Espinal went 3-for-3 with a walk, a double, a run scored and two RBI in Tuesday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Red Sox.

He was the first Toronto batter to reach base in the game, drawing a walk off Nick Pivetta to lead off the third inning, and Espinal just kept on reaching base all night. The 27-year-old has been one of the Blue Jays' biggest contributors lately, putting together a five-game hitting streak in which he's gone 7-for-17 (.412) with two doubles, two homers, four runs and five RBI, and he is giving the team no reason to remove him from the starting job at second base.

Hernandez batted fifth and went 1-for-3 with two RBI in Tuesday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Blue Jays.

Hernandez had a run-producing sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and singled in another during a four-run rally in the eighth inning, an encouraging sign for a team that has been unable to post a crooked number of late. For Hernandez, who opened the season as Boston's leadoff hitter, this was the fifth time in the last six games he has not been atop the order. Trevor Story has filled that role instead.

Altuve (hamstring) took part in all running drills prior to Tuesday's game against the Rangers, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

In addition to getting in some sprinting work, Altuve also tested out his strained left hamstring by moving around side-to-side. The second baseman also performed fielding drills a day earlier, so he appears to be making good progress in his recovery from the injury. He could be ready to return from the 10-day injured list this weekend when first eligible.

Arraez will sit Tuesday against the Tigers, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Arraez has started against every righty the Twins have faced this season, but he's been in the lineup just once against a lefty. The platoon role is working out well for him so far, as he's hit .354/.426/.458 while striking out just four times in 15 games.

Altuve (hamstring) took grounders prior to Monday's game against Texas, and he also ran "a lot" Sunday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

There was no detail provided regarding the nature of Altuve's running, though it's positive that he was able to exert himself only five days after being placed on the injured list. The team noted that a minimum stint was possible, but it's still unclear if Altuve will be activated when first eligible Friday. Aledmys Diaz and Niko Goodrum have split time at second base in Altuve's absence.