MLB Player News

Jackson is out indefinitely with a significant upper quad strain, Kyle Glaser of Baseball America reports.

He last played for Low-A Inland Empire on June 24, and it's possible he won't return this season. Jackson is not advanced enough to be assigned to the Arizona Fall League, but he could play in fall instructs. Prior to suffering the injury, the 21-year-old infielder was up to his old tricks, hitting for significant power (.262 ISO) while striking out too much (34.5 percent strikeout rate).

Merrifield went 3-for-5 with two runs, an RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 9-1 victory over the White Sox.

As usual, the second baseman served as an offensive catalyst from the top of the order, scoring the game's first run after singling and swiping a bag in the first inning. He leads MLB with 28 thefts on the season, with three of his steals coming in his past five games. Merrifield has collected at least one hit in 13 of his past 14 contests.

Mayfield went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and a double Wednesday against the Rangers.

Mayfield tallied his first multi-hit effort since July 17, a span of 15 games. However, he homered in his second consecutive contest and now has six round trippers on the season. Even so, Mayfield has just a .214/.245/.449 line across 104 plate appearances to this point in the campaign. With Anthony Rendon (hip) sidelined for the season, Mayfield should see plenty of playing time going forward.

Arraez went 3-for-3 with a double, two walks and a run in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Reds.

The 24-year-old lacks the power of a typical cleanup hitter, but he shined in that role nonetheless, raising his average to .310 with the trio of hits. In his last 12 games, Arraez has hit .405 with four doubles, four walks and four RBI while striking out just three times. The return of Josh Donaldson (hamstring) figures to push Arraez out of third base, but the latter's bat has been formidable enough to stay in the lineup one way or another.

Polanco went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and another run scored in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Reds.

The infielder went deep for the third consecutive game and now sits at 18 home runs on the season. Polanco has been on a tear since the All-Star break, hitting .366 with five homers and 12 RBI in 17 games and raising his 2021 OPS to .811. After an underwhelming 2020, the 28-year-old is nearly matching the production from his stellar 2019 campaign.

Clement isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays.

Clement went just 1-for-9 across the last three games, and he'll get a chance to reset Wednesday. Owen Miller will start at the keystone and bat eighth.

Espinal isn't in the lineup Wednesday against Cleveland.

Espinal recently drew six consecutive starts, but he'll be out of the lineup for a second straight contest after he went 1-for-9 with a home run, two RBI, two walks and a strikeout in his last three appearances. Breyvic Valera will start at the hot corner and bat eighth.

The Red Sox optioned Arauz to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday.

Arauz was sent out to clear a roster spot for closer Matt Barnes (illness), who was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list. During his five-day stint with the big club, Arauz appeared in three games and went 2-for-6 with a walk.

Arraez will start at third base and bat cleanup Wednesday against the Reds.

Since returning from the injured list Saturday, Arraez has now picked up starts in all of the Twins' subsequent five games, with each opportunity coming at third base in place of the injured Josh Donaldson (hamstring). The Twins are still viewing Donaldson as day-to-day, so assuming he avoids the injured list, Arraez could soon be pushed into a utility role. Arraez's excellent bat-to-ball skills and ability to play multiple infield and outfield spots should allow him to hold down a near-everyday role, even if he doesn't have a true home at a position.

Polanco went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Reds.

He played hero in this one, taking Heath Hembree deep in the ninth inning to put the Twins in the lead for good. The blast extended Polanco's hitting streak to seven games while giving him three long balls in his last five, but he's been on a tear ever since the All-Star break, slashing .358/.394/.642 over his last 17 games.