MLB Player News

The Guardians activated Miller (illness) from the COVID-19 injured list Sunday, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. He'll start at first base and bat sixth in Cleveland's series finale with the Yankees.

Cleveland optioned reliever Konnor Pilkington to Triple-A Columbus to reopen a spot on the 28-man active roster for Miller, who was unavailable for four days due to MLB's COVID-19 protocols. Prior to being deactivated, Miller had solidified himself as a near-everyday player by slashing .500/.545/.964 over his first 33 plate appearances of the season. Now that he's healthy again, Miller should continue to play on a regular basis, with most of his opportunities likely coming at first base.

Hoerner is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Hoerner has started nine straight games but will receive a day off after posting a .375/.394/.500 slash line during that stretch. Jonathan Villar will shift to shortstop Sunday while Patrick Wisdom starts at the hot corner.

Lowe is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe will take a seat along with fellow lefty-hitting regulars Josh Lowe and Ji-Man Choi as the Rays load up on right-handed bats to counter Boston southpaw Rich Hill. Randy Arozarena will replace Lowe as the Rays' leadoff hitter, while Vidal Brujan fills in for Lowe at second base.

Castro is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Castro had served as the Tigers' primary shortstop for the past week and a half, but he'll transition back into a utility role with Javier Baez (thumb) making his return from the 10-day injured list Sunday. After providing four hits in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader with the Rockies, Castro is sitting on a .308 average for the season.

Rodgers is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Rodgers will sit for the second straight game in favor of Alan Trejo, who drew the nod at second base over the former in the second half of Saturday's doubleheader. Though he doesn't yet appear to have lost hold of an everyday role, Rodgers has plummeted in the lineup of late in light of his recent struggles. He was moved to the No. 7 spot in the order for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader and went 0-for-4 in the Rockies' 13-0 loss, dropping his season-long slash line to .087/.157/.109 across 51 plate appearances.

Albies went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in Saturday's 9-7 loss to the Marlins.

After Jazz Chisholm led off the game with a solo shot in the top of the first inning, Albies answered back in the bottom of the frame with his own leadoff blast, setting the tone for a wild day of offense. Albies is the unlikely MLB co-leader in home runs at the moment, as his six long balls has him tied with C.J. Cron, and all nine of the second baseman's nine hits have gone for extra bases, fueling his lopsided .242/.319/.581 slash line through 16 games.

Arraez went 4-for-5 with three RBI in Saturday's 9-2 win over the White Sox.

All four knocks were singles, but the rest of Minnesota's hitters were getting on base enough that Arraez could make his hits count. The 25-year-old super-utility player has seen action at first base, second base and third base already this season, slashing .364/.429/.477 through 14 games with a homer, five runs and seven RBI.

Hoerner went 4-for-5 with a run scored and three RBI in Saturday's win over the Pirates.

Hoerner collected four of his team's 23 hits in the easy 21-0 romp. The big effort boosted the shortstop's batting average to .327 this season, and he should continue to see regular playing time with Andrelton Simmons (shoulder) on the injured list.

Brujan was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Saturday.

Brujan did not break camp with the Rays, but he will join the roster a few weeks into the season and take the spot of Yandy Diaz (illness). It remains to be seen what role Brujan will fill, but at the very least he will provide depth at the three infield spots left of first base.

Altuve (hamstring) felt good after fielding groundballs Saturday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Altuve was feeling good enough to get in some defensive work Saturday, but he has not hit since landing on the injured list, and it remains to be seen if he will be ready to return Friday when first eligbile.