MLB Player News

Merrifield went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks and a stolen base in Saturday's 6-3 win over Minnesota.

While the 32-year-old went hitless for just the second time in his last 19 games, he was still able to add to his major-league leading steals total. Merrifield is now 23-for-24 on the basepaths, and his recent success at the dish has lifted his season slash line to .287/.338/.435 in 358 plate appearances. He's added eight home runs, 45 RBI and 50 runs scored from the top of Kansas City's order.

Hoerner (hamstring) was activated from the 10-day injured list and is starting Sunday against the Reds.

Hoerner has been sidelined since late May by a strained left hamstring, and he'll rejoin the active roster after going 4-for-14 in four rehab games with Triple-A Iowa. The 24-year-old should reclaim the everyday role at the keystone, while Sergio Alcantara was sent to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Lowe is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Sporting a miserable .179 OBP in 95 plate appearances against lefties this season, Lowe sits as the Rays take on southpaw Robbie Ray. Overall, the infielder has hit .233 with three homers and seven RBI in his last 10 games. Mike Brosseau will start at second base Sunday.

Lux went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run, an RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Nationals.

Lux came through with a two-out double in the fourth inning to plate the Dodgers' third run. He also walked, stole second base and scored in the ninth. The 23-year-old snapped a five-game stretch without an RBI and notched his first extra-base hit since June 13.

Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a home run, two walks, two total runs and two total RBI in Saturday's extra-innings loss to Oakland.

A day after he plated the winning run with a 10th-inning single, Hernandez looked to knock another pair of game-changing hits Saturday. He slugged a solo homer in the seventh frame to give Boston a two-run lead, then singled in a run in the 12th inning to put the Red Sox up by two again. Oakland scored three times in the bottom of the frame, however, to negate Hernandez's heroics. The utility man has come alive at the plate of late, particularly in the power department -- he has four long balls and eight RBI over his past seven games.

Espinal went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI on Saturday against Tampa Bay.

Espinal took reliever Matt Wisler deep in the sixth inning for his first career home run, a two-run blast that broke the game open at 6-1. He also singled in the second, Espinal's second two-hit game in the last week. The trade of veteran Joe Panik has opened the door for Espinal to receive more starts at third base, which allows the Jays to utilize Cavan Biggio in more of a super-utility role. The 26-year-old Espinal provides a steady glove but has also put together a surprising .304/.355/.402 slash line in 110 plate appearances this season. His lack of power and speed (two steals in three attempts), however, limit his offensive appeal.

Arauz suffered an elbow injury during Tuesday's game at Triple-A Worcester, Joe McDonald of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette reports.

Arauz was sent to the minors May 17, and he's hit .206 with four home runs, 20 RBI and 16 runs in 39 games since joining Triple-A Worcester. The 22-year-old said that he could miss a week or two due to the injury, so he could spend time on the 7-day minor-league injured list while he recovers.

Chavis isn't starting Saturday's game against the Athletics, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe

Chavis has gone 1-for-10 with two runs, two RBI and a strikeout across the last five games, and he's alternated starts across the last several games. Enrique Hernandez will shift to second base while Danny Santana starts in center field.

Altuve is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against Cleveland, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It's a regular day of rest for Altuve, who has hit .279 with six homers and 17 RBI in his last 17 games. He's also walked more times (16) than he's struck out (11) in that span.

Andrus went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in an extra-inning loss to the Red Sox on Friday.

The veteran shortstop slugged his first round tripper since Sept. 11 of last season in the ninth inning, launching a 422-foot shot to center to knot the game at 2-2. Andrus has now hit safely in eight of his last 10 games, with Friday's blast serving as his third extra-base hit over that span.