MLB Player News

Polanco (ankle) was removed for precautionary reasons in the second game of the team's doubleheader Thursday against the Angels, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Polanco was removed in the sixth inning of the game with ankle soreness and was replaced by Willians Astudillo. However, it appears he avoided serious injury and could be still be available for the team's weekend series against Cleveland.

Polanco was removed from the second game of the team's doubleheader Thursday against the Angels with right ankle soreness, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Polanco was removed in the sixth inning after going 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. Willians Astudillo entered the game at third base, with Luis Arraez shifting to cover Polanco's absence at second base.

Kemp went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double and a walk in Thursday's 8-4 loss to Houston.

The second baseman went yard off Houston starter Luis Garcia in the third inning. The homer was Kemp's first of the year. He's added two RBI, seven runs scored and three stolen bases with a mediocre .232 batting average in 28 games. With Jed Lowrie struggling at the plate, playing time could be up for grabs at the keystone for Kemp.

Ibanez was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Ibanez joined the major-league roster in early May and appeared in nine games while serving mostly as a depth option. The 28-year-old hit .143 with a double and two RBI in his first taste of major-league action but will now return to the minors going forward.

Rosario went 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Angels.

Rosario safely reached three times Wednesday and swiped his third base of the season in the ninth inning but his teammates failed to get him home despite being in scoring position twice. The 25-year-old is slashing .306/.338/.452 with one home run and three steals (on three attempts) over his last 16 games. He has started eight of the last 10 games.

Castro went 3-for-5 with three RBI in Wednesday's 6-2 victory over the Mariners.

All three of Castro's hits were singles, but they came at opportune times and helped him drive in half of Detroit's runs in the win. He has been red hot at the plate over his past three games, going 8-for-13 with seven singles and a double. The scorching stretch has pushed his batting average up to a standout .343 on the season.

Torres went 2-for-2 with a walk in Wednesday's 2-0 win over the Rangers.

Torres made his return to the lineup for the first time since May 11 after he tested positive for COVID-19. The 24-year-old reached in all three plate appearances and notched his third stolen base of the season in the seventh inning. He's slashing .246/.340/.310 with a home run, 10 RBI and 12 runs scored but has yet to get it going in the power department after combining for 62 home runs over his first two major-league seasons.

Semien went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a double and a pair of walks in Wednesday's 7-3 loss to Boston.

The 30-year-old attempted to spark a comeback in the seventh inning with his two-run blast, but that was it for Toronto's run production Wednesday. Semien has racked up seven hits in his last 13 at-bats. The power-hitting infielder owns a .280/.346/.512 slash line with 10 homers, 26 RBI, 25 runs scored and seven stolen bases in 182 plate appearances this year.

Altuve went 2-for-6 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Athletics.

Altuve got the Astros off to a quick start by smacking a home run as the first batter of the contest. It was his fifth round tripper of the season, four of which have come in his last 12 games. He has a hit in every game in that same span, highlighted by nine multi-hit contests, nine RBI and 10 runs scored. For the season, Altuve is now hitting .308/.362/.466 across 32 games.

Hernandez went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and two total runs scored in Wednesday's 7-3 win over Toronto.

The 29-year-old hit a leadoff single in the first inning and scored on an Alex Verdugo two-run homer. In the second, Hernandez went yard to extend Boston's lead to 6-1. The utilityman hasn't missed a beat in two games since returning from a hamstring injury. He's seeing regular playing time in center field. Hernandez is slashing .254/.308/.459 with five homers, 11 RBI and 21 runs scored across 133 plate appearances.