MLB Player News

Mendick is not in Wednesday's lineup against Cleveland.

Leury Garcia is starting at shortstop and batting eighth. Tim Anderson is confirmed to be returning Thursday, so Mendick's run of potential starts has come to an end.

The Astros placed Altuve on the injured list Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Altuve was one of five players Houston placed on the IL on Wednesday without an injury designation, indicating that each member of the quintet has been ruled out due to COVID-19-related protocols. No reports have come out yet specifying whether Altuve (or any of the other four Astros) tested positive for the virus, or if the players in question have been ruled out through contact tracing. Aledmys Diaz and Alex De Goti look to be the top candidates to pick up work at second base while Altuve is sidelined.

Gimenez isn't starting Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Gimenez will take a seat for the second time in the last three games with left-hander Carlos Rodon starting for Chicago. Amed Rosario will start at shortstop Wednesday while Jordan Luplow takes over in center field.

Haggerty is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles.

Though he slugged a home run as part of a two-hit game in the second half of Tuesday's doubleheader, Haggerty will find himself on the bench for the third time in four games. Jose Marmolejos will pick up the start in left field Wednesday, and he may rank ahead of Haggerty as the third member in Seattle's regular outfield after Mitch Haniger and Taylor Trammell. Both Marmolejos and Haggerty will likely see their opportunities decline, however, if Kyle Lewis (knee) is able to return from the injured list for the Mariners' upcoming five-game homestand.

Arroyo will start at second base and bat leadoff in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Twins, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

With Enrique Hernandez resting for the front end of the twin bill, Arroyo will get his first look of the season to hit out of the leadoff spot. Manager Alex Cora is rewarding Arroyo with the leadoff opportunity after he went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs in Tuesday's 4-2 win. Arroyo has now started in five of the Red Sox's last six games.

Hernandez isn't in the lineup for Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Twins, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Hernandez had hit .214 with a home run and four RBI while starting each of the first 10 games of the season. However, Christian Arroyo will take his place at second base for Wednesday's matinee, leading off.

Torres (finger) will start at shortstop and bat fifth Wednesday against the Blue Jays, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Torres checks back into the lineup after he was rested for the first time this season in Tuesday's 7-3 loss while he dealt with a jammed finger. The injury apparently hasn't provided any complications for Torres in the field or at the plate, so it looks like he'll be able to handle his normal everyday role moving forward. Before jamming his finger, Torres had gotten off to a slow start to the season with eight hits -- seven singles and one double -- and a career-worst 27.3 percent strikeout rate through 44 plate appearances.

With Tim Anderson (hamstring) on target to return from the injured list Thursday, per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times, Mendick will lose playing time and possibly his roster spot.

Mendick has started five straight games since being called up as a roster replacement for Anderson, but those at-bats should dry up beginning Thursday. Mendick is 5-for-12 with five walks as a fill-in at shortstop.

Merrifield went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs scored Tuesday in a victory over the Angels.

Merrifield was an effective catalyst from the top of the Royals' lineup, twice turning a single and stolen base into a run. The 31-year-old has reached base in all but one of his nine contests this season and has racked up five multi-hit efforts. He is slashing .389/.415/.694 across 36 plate appearances while posting three home runs, 10 RBI, three stolen bases and eight runs scored.

Haggerty went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and a second run scored in an 7-6 loss to the Orioles during the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader.

The 26-year-old launched his first homer of the year in the seventh inning off Adam Plutko to tie the score at 6-6, only for Baltimore to walk it off in the bottom half of the frame. However, he had just one hit in 16 at-bats coming into Tuesday, and with Kyle Lewis (knee) poised to come off the IL this weekend and Jarred Kelenic knocking on the door, one day of heroics may not be enough to keep Haggerty on the roster much longer.