MLB Player News

Altuve isn't expected to be activated from the COVID-19 injured list ahead of Tuesday's game in Colorado while he waits to clear MLB health and safety protocols, Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston reports.

Of the five players Houston placed on the COVID-19 IL on April 14, Altuve looks to be the only member of the group that won't be available for the start of the series in Colorado. Meanwhile, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Martin Maldonado and Robel Garcia will fly to Denver on Monday, and all should be reinstated from the IL ahead of Tuesday's series opener if they continue to pass all subsequent COVID-19 intake testing. Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported April 15 that only one member of the Astros quintet was known to have tested positive for the virus, and given that MLB protocols require positive players to isolate for a minimum of 10 days, Altuve would seem to be the infected individual. If that's the case, Altuve likely won't be available until the Astros' weekend series with the Angels at the earliest.

Lopez went 1-for-4 with a double and a stolen base in Sunday's 2-0 win over the Blue Jays.

In the second inning, Lopez and Whit Merrifield executed a double steal, but neither of them was able to score. The 26-year-old Lopez is slashing .282/.341/.359 with two steals, three RBI, six runs scored and no homers through 45 plate appearances. The infielder doesn't supply much power or speed, and he often hits at the bottom of the Royals' order.

Merrifield went 0-for-3 with two walks and two stolen bases in Sunday's 2-0 win over the Blue Jays.

Merrifield is now 5-for-6 on the basepaths this season. The second baseman is slashing .321/.371/.547 with three homers, 11 RBI, 10 runs scored and three doubles through 62 plate appearances.

Castro went 3-for-4 with two RBI in Sunday's loss to the Athletics.

Castro collected half of the team's hits and drove in both Detroit runs, which were his first two RBI of the season. The utility man hasn't been playing a ton, as he came into Sunday with only 10 at-bats, but he's shown himself to be a capable hitter when given opportunities, as he posted a .291 batting average in 2019 and a .347 mark last season in a reserve role.

Hernandez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a 3-2 loss to the White Sox in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader.

Hernandez hit a slice down the right-field line that snuck around the foul pole for his second round-tripper of the season. A sluggish 2-for-18 start appears well in his rear view mirror. Hernandez is hitting .341 (14-for-41) with an .894 OPS over his past 10 games.

Arroyo is out of the lineup for the second game of Sunday's doubleheader with the White Sox after experiencing foot soreness during the Red Sox's 3-2 loss in the first game of the twin bill, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Arroyo appeared to be in pain after fouling a ball off his foot during an at-bat, but he stayed in the game and finished 1-for-3 while playing all seven innings. The fact that Arroyo wasn't removed from the contest suggests the Red Sox don't have much concern about his health, and it's possible the team planned to hold him out of the lineup for the second game of the doubleheader anyway. He can be viewed as day-to-day until he rejoins the starting nine.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Sunday that Altuve (COVID-19 injured list) has been cleared to resume individual workouts, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Altuve and the other four Astros placed on the COVID-19 IL on Wednesday all appear to have finished their respective quarantine periods, but Baker didn't specify when any of the players might be ready to rejoin the team. Since Baker previously mentioned that the five players in question are unlikely to be available for the team's ongoing road trip, Altuve's earliest possible return date would most likely be Thursday, when the Astros host the Angels.

Biggio (hand) is not in the lineup Sunday against the Royals.

The 26-year-old appeared as a pinch runner during Saturday's doubleheader, but he hasn't played the field or had a plate appearance since Thursday while nursing a bruised right hand. Biggio will have an extra two days to recover with Monday's scheduled off day, so it's not a major surprise to see him on the bench Sunday. Joe Panik will receive the start at third base in the series finale.

Gimenez is not in the lineup Sunday versus the Reds.

Gimenez is 6-for-20 with two homers, three doubles, six runs, four RBI and two stolen bases over the past six games, but he'll head to the bench Sunday with southpaw Wade Miley starting for Cincinnati. Amed Rosario will take over at shortstop while Jordan Luplow starts in center field.

Hernandez went 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's win over the White Sox.

The versatile Hernandez had his best game of the season from an offensive standpoint, as he reached base four times for the first time in 2021 while plating a run -- he scored Kevin Plawecki with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth. The 29-year-old Hernandez extended his hitting streak to three games, and he's now hit safely in seven of Boston's last nine contests while recording four multi-hit appearances during that stretch.