MLB Player News

Merrifield went 2-for-5 with three runs Monday in the Royals' 6-5 win over the Athletics.

Merrifield hasn't been running much lately -- he has three steals in five attempts since Aug. 1 -- but he's maintained his high-contact ways throughout the campaign and is on track for a second straight season with an average above .300. The 30-year-old has banged out two hits in each of his last three games and has accrued a .371/.391/.516 slash line thus far in September.

Semien went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run, two runs and two RBI in the Athletics' 6-5 loss to the Royals on Monday.

Semien continues to swing a hot bat, with this latest multi-hit effort extending his current hitting streak to seven games. He cranked his 31st long ball of the season in this contest, touching up Glenn Sparkman with a second-inning, two-run shot. The 28-year-old continues to enjoy a career year at the dish, with this bringing his slash line up to a healthy .284/.365/.519 in 151 games.

Arraez went 3-for-4 with two RBI in Monday's 5-3 win over the White Sox.

Arraez singled three times Monday, including a two-run base hit in the sixth inning to give Minnesota a 5-2 lead. The rookie utilityman has been red-hot in September, going 23-for-54 (.426 average) with 10 runs scored.

Castro is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Orioles.

Jordy Mercer will fill in at second base while Castro rests after turning in a productive first half of September. Over his 11 starts this month, Castro has delivered multiple hits in eight of those contests, including each of his last five games. Castro's .305 average this season leads all Tigers hitters.

Semien went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk Sunday in the Athletics' 6-1 win over the Rangers.

Semien reached the 30-homer plateau Sunday, joining Matt Chapman (34) and Matt Olson (34) to become the first trio to achieve the feat for the organization since 2001. The shortstop has already established career bests in home runs, doubles, triples, runs and RBI and should continue to supply useful counting stats the rest of the way with Oakland unlikely to rest him as it fights with Cleveland and Tampa Bay for the two available American League wild-card spots.

Arraez went 1-for-4 with a walk in Sunday's 7-5 loss to the Indians.

Arraez's 1-for-7 showing at the plate over the final two games of the series qualifies as a slump for the rookie, who has showcased elite bat-to-ball skills since arriving in the big leagues in mid-May. The 22-year-old has turned what was expected to be a brief stay in the majors into a full-time role in the infield, unseating Jonathan Schoop for regular work at second base in the process. Arraez has recorded more walks (six) than strikeouts (five) in September and is batting .400 so far this month, lifting his season-long average to a robust .344 across 319 plate appearances.

Lowe (quadriceps) is slated to see live at-bats during the coming week in the form of a simulated game Monday against Yonny Chirinos (finger) and in Instructional League games the rest of the week, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays and Lowe continue to keep hope alive with respect to a return before the end of the regular season, and this coming week's planned activities should prove a strong litmus test for how realistic activation during the final week of the campaign might be. Lowe experienced some leg fatigue during a sim game last Thursday, but that wasn't overly concerning given that the 25-year-old had been running for a string of days prior.

Castro went 3-for-5 with a run scored in Sunday's 8-2 loss to the Orioles.

It's been a tough season for the 44-104 Tigers, but Castro has been a bright spot. The 25-year-old is now batting .305 and has shown good defensive versatility, having appeared at every position except for pitcher and catcher, which should keep him in Detroit's plans moving forward.

Altuve will sit Sunday against the Royals, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Altuve hits the bench for just the third time since late July. He's been in typical elite form over his last 10 games, hitting .325/.386/.650 with three homers. Aledmys Diaz will start at second base.

Polanco is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Indians.

Polanco went 4-for-9 with a double, a home run and three RBI during Saturday's doubleheader and will head to the bench for the series finale. Ronald Torreyes will start at shortstop and bat ninth in his absence.