MLB Player News

Mayfield went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 8-7 extra-innings win over the Mariners.

He has been the primary fill-in at shortstop for Carlos Correa (ribs) but has not done much to replace Correa's offense. The homer, the 28-year-old Mayfield's first as a major leaguer, snapped an 0-for-21 skid.

Estrada was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following Thursday's game against the Blue Jays, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

With Didi Gregorius (elbow) set to come off the 60-day injured list Friday, Estrada will head to the minor leagues. He hit .304 with three home runs, 11 RBI and two stolen bases over 24 games in the big leagues since being promoted April 20.

Torres is nursing a sore left shoulder, James Wagner of The New York Times reports.

This explains why Torres is out of the lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Blue Jays. The shortstop will be available off the bench, suggesting the issue isn't anything that will require a stint on the injured list. That said, manager Aaron Boone did note that Torres could sit Friday as well, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Torres is not in the lineup Thursday against the Blue Jays, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.

Torres will head to the bench for what appears to be a routine day off following a string of 11 straight starts during which he hit just .209 with a .643 OPS and 33.3 percent strikeout rate. In his place, Thairo Estrada is starting at shortstop and hitting eighth in Thursday's series finale.

Polanco went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's 9-7 loss to the Indians.

Polanco has scaled back his activity on the basepaths this season, but even fantasy managers that drafted him with the expectation that he would deliver double-digit steals can't quibble with his production. After his fourth multi-hit effort in his last six games, Polanco's season average is up to .339, placing him fourth among all qualified hitters heading into Thursday's action. His home run was his 10th of the season, putting him well on pace to smash his previous career-best total of 13, which he achieved in 2017.

Biggio is not in the lineup Thursday against the Yankees.

Biggio will take a seat on the bench for Thursday's series finale after starting the past five games and going 3-for-14 (.214) with a pair of stolen bases and a 6:5 BB:K during that stretch. Eric Sogard is starting at the keystone and batting leadoff in this one.

Lopez will start at second base and bat seventh Thursday against the Red Sox, Joel Goldberg of FOX Sports Kansas City reports.

After serving as the Royals' leadoff or No. 2 hitter in each of his first 18 games in the big leagues, Lopez will slot into the lower third of the order for the second straight day. There was some thought that the lefty-hitting Lopez's drop in the order Wednesday might have been due to southpaw Chris Sale starting for Boston, but the rookie again finds himself as the No. 7 hitter with right-hander Ryan Weber on the bump. It's difficult to quibble with manager Ned Yost's decision to move Lopez down, given that the 24-year-old has reached base at a .116 clip over his past 10 starts.

Arroyo will start at third base and bat sixth Thursday against the Tigers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Though he's mostly served as a lightly used reserve infielder during his multiple stints with the Rays this season, Arroyo seems to have gained the trust of skipper Kevin Cash over the past week. The 24-year-old will draw a seventh consecutive start Thursday after supplying a .952 OPS over the previous six contests. Until Joey Wendle (wrist) returns from the 10-day injured list, Arroyo looks like he could have a path to at least semi-regular action.

Semien went 3-for-4 with three RBI from a pair of run-scoring singles, a walk and two runs in a loss to the Angels on Wednesday. He was also caught stealing on his only attempt.

Semien made plenty of noise from the top of the order, generating his first three-hit effort since April 14 in the process. The veteran shortstop also compiled his first RBI of June and snapped out of a brief 1-for-17 funk that had encompassed his last four games. Factoring in Wednesday's production, Semien is slashing a solid .260/.351/.402 across 282 plate appearances, with his average just a point shy of a career best and his on-base percentage representing a new high-water mark.

Lowe is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Tigers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He'll sit for the second time in the series with Detroit deploying another lefty starting pitcher (Daniel Norris). Daniel Robertson will pick up a start at second base in Lowe's stead.