MLB Player News

Arroyo will start at second base and bat eighth Thursday against the Astros, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Even with the Boston lineup back at full strength with Alex Verdugo (back) returning from a two-game absence, Arroyo will maintain a spot in the starting nine. Despite striking out in all three of his at-bats in Wednesday's 8-3 loss, Arroyo will man the keystone for a fourth straight game. At this point, Arroyo may have inched ahead of Marwin Gonzalez and Enrique Hernandez as the top option at second base.

The Mariners designated Mayfield for assignment Thursday.

He'll cede his spot on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster to first baseman Jake Bauers, whom the Mariners acquired from Cleveland on Thursday. The 30-year-old Mayfield has served mainly as a backup middle infielder between stints with the Angels and Mariners this season, going 6-for-37 (.162 average) with a 31.6 percent strikeout rate.

Arroyo batted seventh and went 0-for-3 in Wednesday's 8-3 loss to the Astros.

Arroyo had made two straight starts as the leadoff hitter but was dropped lower in the order for Wednesday's contest. Red Sox manager Alex Cora is experimenting at leadoff, looking to find a replacement for Enrique Hernandez. On Wednesday, it was Danny Santana's turn. Arroyo has started three straight games and is 2-for-9 with five strikeouts during that stretch.

Mendick entered Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays in the seventh inning after Nick Madrigal left due to a hamstring injury.

Madrigal injured his right hamstring after running out a groundball and needed assistance leaving the field. He'll undergo further evaluation Thursday. If Madrigal misses time, Mendick and Leury Garcia are expected to share duties at second base.

Polanco went 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI in Wednesday's 9-6 loss to the Yankees.

Polanco homered in the third inning off Gerrit Cole and he hit the foul pole in the ninth inning off Brooks Kriske. He has eight long balls this season, but four have come in the last nine games. The 27-year-old is slashing .242/.310/.430 with eight home runs, 27 RBI, 31 runs and three steals in 232 plate appearances. His 31 runs lead the Twins.

Altuve went 1-for-6 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 8-3 win over Boston.

The second baseman has shown some pop recently with four round trippers in his last nine games. For the season, Altuve has 10 homers, 28 RBI, 40 runs scored and two stolen bases while slashing .293/.363/.466 in 50 contests. He's already doubled his homer total (five) from 48 games last season.

Arraez (shoulder) was spotted working out on the field Wednesday for the second day in a row, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Arraez looks to be making good progress in his recovery from a right shoulder strain, but the Twins haven't revealed a timeline for his return from the 10-day injured list, where he's resided since May 26. He'll likely require a multi-game rehab assignment in the minors before being activated from the IL.

Castro was scratched from Wednesday's lineup against the Mariners due to a right hand injury, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Castro hurt his right hand during pregame warmups, and he'll be replaced by Isaac Paredes at third base. The 27-year-old is being examined by team doctors, and a better idea of his status going forward could be revealed once the examination is complete.

Rosario went 3-for-5 with an RBI triple and three runs scored in Tuesday's 10-1 win over St. Louis.

The shortstop opened the scoring with an RBI triple to plate Cesar Hernandez in the first inning. Rosario then scored on a Jose Ramirez groundout. Rosario also singled twice and scored each time he got on base. He's slashing .256/.318/.398 with four home runs, 18 RBI, 28 runs scored, five stolen bases and four triples in 51 games. He's scored 10 runs in his last eight contests as a steady presence in the No. 2 spot in the lineup.

Jones (oblique) was activated off the minor-league injured list Tuesday.

Jones hit the injured list in mid-May with a strained left oblique, an injury which was originally expected to keep him out for days rather than weeks. He played just six games for Triple-A Norfolk prior to suffering the injury but could make his case for a big-league call-up if he hits well upon his return, as the Orioles have turned to players like Stevie Wilkerson and Pat Valaika at second base in recent weeks.