MLB Player News

Brujan was recalled by the Rays on Friday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Brujan has had a busy few days. He was called up Wednesday but was merely the extra man for a doubleheader against Cleveland, though he did appear in both contests, going 1-for-6 with a steal. He was sent back down Thursday but is back in the big leagues just one day later, with Mike Brosseau (oblique) hitting the injured list to clear a spot. Expect Brujan to feature frequently at several spots around the diamond, though he might have something short of a true everyday role.

Merrifield went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base Thursday against Cleveland.

Merrifield opened the scoring in the third inning, singling home Michael Taylor for his 46th RBI of the season. He also reached base on an Amed Rosario throwing error in the fifth and promptly stole second base, his major league-leading 24th theft on the year. Merrifield's bat has gone cold over the last six contests -- Thursday's hit was just his second in his last 28 at-bats (.071) -- but the 32-year-old is still slashing a solid .275/.328/.414 overall in 2021.

Miller was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.

Miller served as the 27th man in Wednesday's doubleheader against the Rays, and he went 0-for-1 with a walk in the nightcap. He'll now head back to the minors, where he's slashed .317/.404/.496 with four homers, 20 runs and 15 RBI in 33 games this year.

Brujan was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Thursday.

Brujan served as the 27th man in Wednesday's doubleheader against Cleveland and went 1-for-6 with a run, an RBI, a stolen base and two strikeouts in his first taste of major-league action. The 23-year-old is a strong candidate to return to the major-league roster at some point, especially while Manuel Margot (hamstring) is sidelined. However, Brujan will return to the Triple-A club for now.

Altuve will skip the upcoming All-Star Game due to a leg injury, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The leg issue hasn't affected Altuve enough to make him miss the games that count in the standings, as he's sat just once in the Astros' last 12 games and is riding a six-game hitting streak. He'll elect to rest for the full four-day break rather than appear in his seventh career All-Star Game, but there's little reason to treat the injury as anything other than a very minor one unless it starts keeping him out of regular-season contests.

Biggio went 2-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and two RBI in Wednesday's 10-2 rout of the Orioles.

It's been a sluggish first half for the 26-year-old, but Biggio is now healthy and seems to be getting comfortable at the plate. Over his last nine games, he's slashing .300/.343/.433 with eight RBI, although he hasn't homered since June 16.

Andrus went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Astros.

Andrus took Cristian Javier yard in the sixth inning to record his second home run of the season. Despite a dreadful start to the season, Andrus has hit fairly well of late by maintaining a .279 average since June 1. In that same span, he's managed to record 14 RBI and score 17 runs.

Altuve went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run Wednesday against the Athletics.

Altuve took Sean Manaea yard in the third inning to record his 19th home run of the season. The effort extended his hitting streak to six games, during which time he's driven in nine and scored five runs. On the campaign, Altuve has an excellent .286/.370/.508 line with 64 runs scored, 52 RBI and four stolen bases across 351 plate appearances.

Torres (hamstring) is batting sixth and playing shortstop Wednesday against the Mariners.

The infielder appears to have recovered from the hamstring cramps that kept him out of action for Tuesday's series opener. Torres is hitting just .147 in his last 10 games, though he has walked eight times in that span.

Lowe is not in the starting lineup for Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader against Cleveland, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe blasted a solo homer in the first half of the twin bill, but he will take a seat against lefty starter Sam Hentges. Mike Brosseau gets the start at the keystone.