MLB Player News

Mendick went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored across both ends of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals.

Mendick appears to be firmly entrenched as the starting second baseman for the White Sox, who placed Leury Garcia (thumb) on the 45-day injured list Saturday. With both Garcia and Nick Madrigal (shoulder) unavailable, Mendick should be the primary option at second base until Madrigal, who is playing catch and taking groundballs, is ready to return. Mendick is batting .273 (12-for-44) with no RBI in 15 games.

Semien went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in a win over the Giants on Saturday.

Semien broke a scoreless tie in the third inning, blasting a 404-foot homer to center field for his second long ball of the season. The home run extended Semien's modest hitting streak to four games, and he has collected three extra-base hits during that stretch.

Merrifield went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and four RBI in a 4-2 win over the Twins during the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.

After tying the score in the second inning with an RBI single, Merrifield launched a Jose Berrios changeup in the fourth inning for a three-run shot to account for all the Royals' offense. The 31-year-old extended his hit streak to five games with the performance, and on the year Merrifield now has five homers and 16 RBI through 20 games.

Arraez isn't starting the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Royals.

Arraez recorded two hits while striking out once in the first game of the twin bill, but he'll get a breather for Game 2. Marwin Gonzalez will shift to second base with Ehire Adrianza starting at the hot corner.

Torres went 4-for-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs in Friday's win against the Red Sox.

Torres has been going through a bit of a slump to begin the season, but he's now reached base in each of the past six contests. He had just his third extra-base hit Friday, but he contributed to the Yankees' offensive onslaught in the 10-3 win over Boston. The 23-year-old now has a .619 OPS with one home run, five RBI and 13 strikeouts this season.

Biggio went 1-for-2 with a walk, a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Friday's win over the Rays.

The 25-year-old is up to five homers on the year, with three of them coming in the last week. Biggio's .206/.324/.460 slash line through 16 games is less impressive, but his power and patience profile (with a little bit of speed -- he has three steals in three attempts) still gives him solid fantasy value in most formats.

Arauz has worked his way into the rotation at second base, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Arauz started at second base Friday with Jose Peraza (knee) recovering, but manager Ron Roenicke suggested Arauz may have played even without Peraza's injury. "That's why he's out there. Just because he's played so well recently," Roenicke said. After an 0-for-9 start to the season, Arauz has hit safely in five straight games, going 9-for-17 with a double and four RBI.

Semien went 2-for-5 with a double in Friday's win over the Giants.

Semien was one of two Oakland players who mustered more than one hit against the Giants pitching staff, and the star shortstop has been seeing the ball well of late -- he has hit safely in three straight games and in six of Oakland's last seven contests, hitting .290 with an .823 OPS in that stretch. He is beginning to turn things around after a slow start to the season.

Altuve returned to the lineup Friday and went 0-for-5 with an RBI in an 11-1 win over the Mariners.

Houston manager Dusty Baker gave Altuve a two-day mental break from playing, but it did not snap him out of an early-season funk. "Good hitters go through slumps that they're not accustomed to," Baker told Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. "Altuve can hit. He's chasing bad pitches and taking good pitches. Every time you look up, you got two strikes on you. Altuve's been hitting all his life, it's just a matter of time until Altuve hits again." The second baseman has a .563 OPS over 88 plate appearances.

Lowe went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and three RBI in Friday's loss to the Blue Jays.

Lowe remained hot in Friday's series opener against the Blue Jays, but the Rays' bullpen struggled late in the game. Lowe has multiple RBI in each of the past three games, and he's carrying a 1.096 OPS with six home runs and 19 RBI over the first 20 games of the season.