MLB Player News

Hernandez went 2-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored in Monday's 14-8 loss to Baltimore.

Hernandez was back in a familiar spot, leading off for Boston as Tommy Pham was given the day off. He's been filling in regularly for second baseman Trevor Story, whose heel injury was expected to keep him out only a few days but eventually landed him on the injured list.

Espinal (oblique) is doing some light baseball activity and hitting off a tee, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Espinal has been on the injured list with a left oblique strain since Thursday, but it's encouraging that he's begun some light work after a few days. The Blue Jays hope that the 27-year-old will be able to return late in the regular season so he can prepare for postseason play, but it's not yet clear whether he'll have enough time to ramp up prior to Oct. 5.

Merrifield will start at second base and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Yankees.

Since coming over in an Aug. 2 deadline deal with the Royals, Merrifield has largely served as a reserve infielder and outfielder, but Santiago Espinal's (oblique) recent move to the injured list has reopened an everyday role for the 33-year-old. Merrifield has made the most of the opportunity thus far, going 6-for-18 with three home runs, two doubles and a walk while scoring four times and driving in six over his last five starts. If he continues to rake as the season winds down, Merrifield could stick around as the Blue Jays' top second baseman even once Espinal is activated.

Bae is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds.

Bae will take a seat after he started each of the final three games of the Pirates' weekend series against the Cubs while going 2-for-11 with a double, a walk, two RBI, a run and two stolen bases. Though Bae doesn't have a direct path to an everyday role at any one spot, his defensive versatility should help him see a decent amount of at-bats over the final week and a half of the season as he attempts to stake his claim to a full-time role in 2023.

The Pirates designated Chavis for assignment Monday.

Chavis went hitless in his last six games and has slashed .160/.216/.259 with a 33 percent strikeout rate in his last 24 contests. It's possible another organization will pick up the struggling 26-year-old off waivers, but otherwise he'll head to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Arroyo (illness) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Orioles, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Arroyo hasn't played since Sept. 18 while he recovers from a non-COVID-19 illness, but the Red Sox have thus far resisted moving him to the 10-day injured list. With Trevor Story (heel) done for the season, Arroyo could have a fairly clear path to a near-everyday role in the middle infield once he eventually moves past his illness.

Massey went 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and two runs during Sunday's 13-12 win over the Royals.

Although the Mariners and Royals combined to score 25 runs during Sunday's matchup, Massey had the only home run of the game with his two-run blast in the bottom of the sixth inning. Although the 24-year-old's performance Sunday was encouraging, he's struggled at the plate recently, going just 1-for-16 with seven strikeouts over his four games leading up to Sunday's win.

Drury went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, two RBI and three runs scored in Sunday's win over the Rockies.

The Padres scored 13 runs on the day, and Drury got in on the action in a big way with five combined runs and RBI, including a solo home run. The long ball, a 452-foot moonshot in the eighth inning, was his 28th on the season and third in 10 games since returning from the injured list. In that 10-game stretch, Drury is hitting .243 (9-for-37) with six runs scored and six RBI.

Kim went 3-for-6 with two doubles and two runs scored in Sunday's 13-6 victory over Colorado.

Kim delivered hitting out of the leadoff spot Sunday. He recorded three hits for the second time in his last 10 games, during which he is batting .316 with two home runs, five RBI and seven runs scored. He is slashing .252/.322/.382 through 142 contests on the season.

Semien went 1-for-3 with two runs scored in Sunday's loss to the Guardians.

The veteran made the most of a single and a walk as he came around to score both times. He now has 18 runs scored in 23 September contests, during which he is batting .337 (32-for-95). On the season, Semien is slashing .254/.312/.438 with 78 RBI and 96 runs scored, which is tied for fifth in the majors.