MLB Player News

Ibanez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

Ibanez will give way to Charlie Culberson at third base for the series finale after starting in each of Texas' previous three games. With a .540 OPS through 45 plate appearances on the season, Ibanez likely hasn't done enough to this point to give himself significant job security.

The Guardians activated Miller (illness) from the COVID-19 injured list Sunday, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. He'll start at first base and bat sixth in Cleveland's series finale with the Yankees.

Cleveland optioned reliever Konnor Pilkington to Triple-A Columbus to reopen a spot on the 28-man active roster for Miller, who was unavailable for four days due to MLB's COVID-19 protocols. Prior to being deactivated, Miller had solidified himself as a near-everyday player by slashing .500/.545/.964 over his first 33 plate appearances of the season. Now that he's healthy again, Miller should continue to play on a regular basis, with most of his opportunities likely coming at first base.

Lowe is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe will take a seat along with fellow lefty-hitting regulars Josh Lowe and Ji-Man Choi as the Rays load up on right-handed bats to counter Boston southpaw Rich Hill. Randy Arozarena will replace Lowe as the Rays' leadoff hitter, while Vidal Brujan fills in for Lowe at second base.

Castro is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Castro had served as the Tigers' primary shortstop for the past week and a half, but he'll transition back into a utility role with Javier Baez (thumb) making his return from the 10-day injured list Sunday. After providing four hits in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader with the Rockies, Castro is sitting on a .308 average for the season.

Arraez went 4-for-5 with three RBI in Saturday's 9-2 win over the White Sox.

All four knocks were singles, but the rest of Minnesota's hitters were getting on base enough that Arraez could make his hits count. The 25-year-old super-utility player has seen action at first base, second base and third base already this season, slashing .364/.429/.477 through 14 games with a homer, five runs and seven RBI.

Brujan was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Saturday.

Brujan did not break camp with the Rays, but he will join the roster a few weeks into the season and take the spot of Yandy Diaz (illness). It remains to be seen what role Brujan will fill, but at the very least he will provide depth at the three infield spots left of first base.

Altuve (hamstring) felt good after fielding groundballs Saturday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Altuve was feeling good enough to get in some defensive work Saturday, but he has not hit since landing on the injured list, and it remains to be seen if he will be ready to return Friday when first eligbile.

Gimenez is not in Saturday's lineup against the Yankees.

The lefty-hitting middle infielder appears to be in a strict platoon, as he has not started against a lefty this season, and that won't change with Nestor Cortes on the hill for New York. Ernie Clement will start at the keystone and bat seventh.

Ibanez went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Friday's 8-1 win over Oakland.

Ibanez was part of a five-run uprising in the second inning, swatting his first home run of the season. Through 12 games, the righty-hitting infielder is slashing .214/.233/.333, which leaves some doubt as to whether he'll remain the season-long starter at third base. Ibanez, who showed some pop in a limited role last season, still has much to prove.

Espinal went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's 4-3 win over the Astros.

He went back-to-back with Bradley Zimmer in the fifth inning off Justin Verlander to erase a 3-1 deficit, setting the stage for some ninth-inning heroics by Matt Chapman and Vladimir Guerrero. Espinal's defense has apparently won him the starting job at second base, but his .214/.292/.357 slash line through 14 games doesn't do much to excite.