MLB Player News

Merrifield went 2-for-4 with an RBI, two runs and two stolen bases in Tuesday's win over the White Sox.

Merrifield stole second in the fifth inning and proceeded to steal third on a double-steal to give him 33 stolen bases on the year. Merrifield now ranks second in the majors in steals and his .303 batting average and 74 runs both rank within the top 10 among MLB second basemen. He also leads his team in doubles (36) and on-base percentage (.366) to round out what has been another highly productive season.

Kemp went 2-for-2 with a walk and a two-run home run in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Tigers.

Kemp continued his hot hitting and is 8-for-21 (.381 average) with a home run and four RBI in July. The current health of the Astros' outfield leaves the 26-year-old without a true starting role, but he has played well enough as a fill-in to secure semi-regular opportunities.

Solarte is not starting Tuesday in Boston.

Solarte started in his first game back from an oblique injury but won't get to start two in a row. Devon Travis will start at second base, with Aledmys Diaz remaining the third baseman.

Altuve banged his knee while attempting to turn a double play in Monday's win over the Tigers, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. He stayed in the game and finished 1-for-4.

Altuve had spent nearly a month on the disabled list earlier this season with soreness in the same knee, so there was some concern following the play. The second baseman said he was a little sore, but is confident he can play Tuesday.

Merrifield went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Monday's win over the White Sox.

Merrifield led off the first with his 12th home run of the season. He had been slumping lately with just three hits in his last 27 at-bats, but hopefully the homer will snap him out of his slump. He remains one of the best second basemen in baseball with his .302 average and 31 steals.

Altuve went 2-for-5 with a solo home run Sunday against the Red Sox.

Altuve took Rick Porcello deep in the sixth inning to record his 11th home run of the season. It was his first home run since Aug. 24, though he is riding a modest four-game hitting streak, during which he's managed five hits across 16 at-bats. After swiping 11 bases between June and July, Altuve has also stopped running since returning from a knee injury on Aug. 21, going only 1-for-2 on stolen base attempts.

Lowe hit a three-run home run in the first inning while going 1-for-4 of Sunday's game.

Lowe went hitless in his first 19 at-bats after his callup in August, but he has hit .352/.444/.648 since breaking that slump. The home run was his fourth in his last 10 games.

Andrus is not in the lineup Sunday against the Athletics.

Andrus hasn't gotten a day off since late July, so he'll head to the bench to rest. Jurickson Profar will slide over to replace him at shortstop, allowing Willie Calhoun to fill the void.

Rodriguez is starting at shortstop and batting seventh in Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

With regular shortstop Jose Iglesias (abdomen) still out of the lineup for at least one more day, Rodriguez will pick up the start Sunday. The 26-year-old is slashing just .217/.255/.336 this season, though he's shown surprising pop lately with four home runs in his last 12 games.

Solarte (oblique) was activated from the 10-day disabled list Sunday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Solarte wound up missing just under a month of action due to a Grade 2 oblique strain. With Josh Donaldson (calf) out of town, Solarte appears to hold regular playing time at third base. However, for Sunday's contest, Solarte will man the keystone and bat seventh.