MLB Player News

Espinal was recalled by the Blue Jays on Saturday.

Espinal was unable to break camp with the major-league club this year, but he'll join the big-league roster after Lourdes Gurriel was placed on the COVID-19 injured list due to vaccine-related symptoms Saturday. Since Gurriel will be eligible to return as soon as his symptoms subside, Espinal might not spend much time in the majors.

Lowe went 1-for-5 with a three-run double in Friday's 10-5 win over the Yankees.

Lowe's bases-clearing double in the fourth inning blew the game wide open for the Rays, giving them an 8-5 lead. Through 15 at-bats prior to Friday, the 26-year-old had yet to drive in a run this season. He owns a .794 OPS through 27 plate appearances.

Rosario is starting in center field and leading off Friday against the Tigers.

This is his first start in center field this season, although he did appear in center field after entering as a pinch hitter back on April 3. His other two starts came at shortstop. Rosario is 3-for-8 with zero extra-base hits and zero stolen-base attempts in four games. If he can produce at the plate, there should be a spot for him most days in the field.

Kemp drew two walks in three plate appearances during Thursday's loss to the Astros before being pinch hit for in the ninth inning.

Kemp has only one hit his first 17 plate appearance, but he's reached base safely on four other occasions courtesy of free passes. The 29-year-old appeared to be making strides at the plate as spring wound down, but Jed Lowrie, who delivered a pinch-hit single after replacing Kemp on Thursday, has been the more productive of the two early in the regular season.

Mendick went 3-for-3 with three singles and a walk in Thursday's 6-0 win over the Royals.

The 27-year-old is filling in nicely for Tim Anderson (hamstring) with four hits and two walks in two games this season. Mendick could earn more playing time even once Leury Garcia (leg) is healthy if he continues to supply offense from the bottom of the lineup.

Altuve went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Thursday's victory over the Tigers.

The 30-year-old smacked a solo shot off Deolis Guerra in the seventh inning, his first of the season. Altuve is slashing .310/.394/.448 and appears to be fully recovered from his knee issues, though he's still well past his old days as a 30-steal threat.

Biggio went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs in a loss to the Angels on Thursday.

The 25-year-old smacked his second homer of the season against Griffin Canning in the sixth inning. Though he's off to a slow start, Biggio is looking to be a sparkplug in a very young Blue Jays offense that will continue to improve, especially with the addition of George Springer (oblique/quad) whenever he returns from injury. Biggio had a breakout year in 2020, slashing .250/.375/.432.

Hernandez went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Thursday against the Orioles.

Hernandez provided an insurance run in the eighth inning when he took Tyler Wells deep for his first homer of the season. He had a slow start to the campaign, collecting only two hits in his first 18 at-bats. However, Hernandez has shown signs of improving his performance at the plate, collecting three knocks across his last two games.

Arraez went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and three RBI during Thursday's win over the Mariners.

Arraez extended Minnesota's lead with his long ball against Ljay Newsome in the seventh inning. He also swatted a sacrifice fly in the fifth to score Miguel Sano. It was the first long ball of the season for Arraez, who is hitting .381 across six games. Homers like Thursday's will be few and far between, but he's shown impressive contact ability in the majors over the last two seasons.

Hernandez went 2-for-5 with two singles in Wednesday's 9-2 win over Tampa Bay.

The utility player has struggled considerably as Boston's leadoff hitter, hitting 4-for-23 with two RBI and two walks in six games. There were doubts about Hernandez's ability to hit consistently in a more prominent role after years as a part-time piece on a deep Dodgers roster, and he's done nothing to silence such doubts thus far in 2021. It's reasonable to speculate that Hernandez will yield the leadoff spot to Alex Verdugo if his struggles continue -- especially considering the need to have runners aboard for J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts, who are both off to outstanding starts this season.