MLB Player News

Espinal is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.

George Springer's return from the injured list Tuesday looks set to close the door on Espinal's run as an everyday player. With some combination of Springer, Randal Grichuk, Teoscar Hernandez and Lourdes Gurriel expected to occupy the three outfield and designated-hitter spots in most games, Cavan Biggio should move back into an everyday role at third base, where Espinal had been holding down the fort. Espinal made four straight starts at the hot corner before exiting the lineup in Tuesday's series opener in Miami.

Arroyo (shin) isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Rays, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Arroyo suffered a bone bruise on his right shin during Sunday's game against the Royals, although X-rays revealed no structural damage. Manager Alex Cora is optimistic that the 26-year-old can avoid a trip to the injured list, and he's running on the field ahead of batting practice Wednesday, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports. However, he'll be out of the lineup for a second straight contest, while Enrique Hernandez will start at second base and bat eighth.

Rengifo will bat leadoff and start in right field Wednesday against the Giants, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Justin Upton's (back) absence from the lineup will clear the way for Rengifo to receive his second turn in as leadoff hitter in four days. Rengifo will also be making his sixth consecutive start, including his fourth in a row in right field. He's gone 5-for-20 with a home run and three RBI over that stretch, but it's unclear if that will be enough for him to maintain a regular role ahead of Juan Lagares, who looks like Rengifo's primary competition for a spot in the everyday lineup.

Mendick isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

Mendick drew 12 consecutive starts for the White Sox, but he'll get a breather in Wednesday's series finale. He went just 1-for-14 with a run, two walks and five strikeouts across his last five appearances. Leury Garcia will take over at second base and bat seventh.

Ibanez started at first base and went 1-for-4 in Tuesday's 13-6 loss to the Athletics.

Ibanez made his first start at first base, taking over for Nate Lowe against a left-hander. The Rangers are in full-on evaluation mode, so Ibanez could see regular at-bats in the short-term, which could turn into the long-term if he hits. Ibanez belted a three-run home run Monday, the first day of his callup. Prior to Tuesday, he had played third base and second base.

Kemp is not in the starting lineup Tuesday against the Rangers.

The lefty-hitting Kemp has worked his way into the starting nine against some southpaws of late, but he'll sit for the beginning part of Tuesday's contest against lefty Taylor Hearn. Hearn is not expected to work deep into the contest, so Kemp should have a very strong chance of entering the game during the mid-to-late innings. Jed Lowrie will man second base with Mark Canha, Skye Bolt and Chad Pinder manning the outfield spots from left to right.

Arroyo (shin) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rays, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Arroyo left Sunday's game against the Royals with a bone bruise on his right shin following a collision with teammate Enrique Hernandez. Monday's off day evidently wasn't enough time for him to heal, though exactly when he'll return to the lineup remains unclear. Hernandez starts at second base in his absence.

Ibanez is in the starting lineup Tuesday against Oakland, batting fifth and playing first base.

Ibanez was recalled Monday and immediately made an impact, taking Frankie Montas deep for a three-run homer in the first inning. He'll remain in the starting nine Tuesday, this time taking over for Nate Lowe at first base with the Athletics sending southpaw Cole Irvin to the mound.

Lopez will start at shortstop and bat ninth Tuesday against the Yankees.

With Adalberto Mondesi (oblique) heading back to the injured list Monday for the third time this season, Lopez once again appears poised to recapture an everyday role in the middle infield. Aside from going an impressive 7-for-7 on stolen-base attempts while batting .260 and getting on base at a strong .350 clip, Lopez provides little excitement from a fantasy standpoint. He possesses minimal power (three home runs in 799 career MLB plate appearances), and his placement in the bottom third of the Kansas City lineup will limit his run-scoring and run-producing opportunities.

Kemp went 2-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and a run in a loss to the Rangers on Monday.

Kemp's multi-hit effort extended his on-base streak to 11 games, a stretch during which he's forged a .294/.455/.500 slash line that includes a double, two home runs, six RBI and a massive 22.7 percent walk rate across 44 plate appearances. The veteran has performed well during his scant leadoff opportunities as well, as Monday's production pushed his average to .500 over the 15 plate appearances he's logged across three games at the top of the order.