MLB Player News

Kim will make his first career major-league start Saturday against the Diamondbacks, batting sixth and playing second base.

Kim sat for both of the Padres' first two games, finding himself on the bench against both a lefty and a righty. Just how often he'll get into the lineup this season may take some time to figure out. He may make most of his starts early on against southpaws like Saturday's starter Caleb Smith. Jake Cronenworth will slide to first base to make room for him Saturday, with Eric Hosmer getting the day off.

Lux went 2-for-5 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's win over Colorado.

Lux's fifth-inning triple was the second of his career and accounted for his second RBI of the campaign. After a disappointing 2020 season that didn't end with a Rookie of the Year coronation as many expected, Lux appears to have secured a near-everyday role as Los Angeles' starting second baseman. The 23-year-old is off to a strong start, going 4-for-9 through his first two games.

Lowe is not starting Saturday against the Marlins.

Lowe had a strong season last year, homering 14 times in 56 games while producing a career-high .916 OPS, and he's started this season well, going 2-for-7 with a double. He's still a Ray, though, so he'll continue to find himself a victim of the team's heavy rotation policy. Most of his off days this season will likely come against southpaws, but he'll sit Saturday even with righty Elieser Hernandez on the mound for the Marlins. Mike Brosseau will get his first start of the season in his absence.

Altuve reached five times Friday, going 3-for-3 with two walks and four runs scored in a 9-5 win over Oakland.

So far, so good with Altuve atop the Astros batting order. He's 4-for-7 with three walks and six runs scored over two games. The top of the order -- Altuve, Michael Brantley and Alex Bregman -- combined to go 8-for-12 with four RBI and scored eight of Houston's nine runs Friday.

Marte went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and a double in a loss to the Padres on Friday.

Marte supplied both of the Diamondbacks' runs in the loss, taking Craig Stammen deep for a two-run blast in the seventh inning. Through two games, the center fielder has collected six hits in 10 at-bats, going deep twice and driving in three.

Hernandez batted leadoff and went 1-for-4 in Friday's 3-0 loss to the Orioles.

Hernandez opened the bottom half of the first inning with a line-drive single to right, building off the momentum generated during spring training when he slashed .327/.450/.592. However, the momentum died there when Hernandez was picked off first base with one out. His was one of only two Boston hits on the day.

Lowe went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk in Thursday's season-opening win over the Marlins.

Lowe's two-bagger off Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara was the only other extra-base hit of the day for the Rays besides Austin Meadows' solo home run. The relatively productive afternoon at the plate to open the season was an encouraging sight, considering Lowe hit just .179 (7-for-39) and struck out 14 times in Grapefruit League play.

Kim will sit Friday against the Diamondbacks, just as he did in Thursday's season opener.

The Padres gave Kim $28 million in December, suggesting that they saw him as capable of playing a fairly important role at the MLB level. So far, he's found himself on the bench both against lefty Madison Bumgarner and righty Merrill Kelly, a pitcher he squared off against for four seasons in Korea. Kim was expected to battle for at-bats as a utility man with Jake Cronenworth and Jurickson Profar, but the Padres will trot out Cronenworth at second base and Profar in left field in both of their first two games. Kim will surely find himself in the lineup eventually, but it doesn't look like he's in line for a significant role right out of the gate.

India went 2-for-4 with a double and a strikeout in a loss to the Cardinals on Thursday.

The 24-year-old forced his way onto the Opening Day roster with a stellar spring and got the nod at second base in his MLB debut, forcing Mike Moustakas to third and Eugenio Suarez to shortstop. Suarez at short seems doomed to fail, but the Reds appear intent on getting India playing time. The fifth overall pick in 2018 has some speed to go with a little pop, which puts him in the mix as an injury-replacement option in mixed leagues.

Marte went 4-for-5 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Thursday's 8-7 loss to San Diego.

Marte, who started in center field and batted second, mashed during spring training and kept it going Opening Day. He posted a 1.181 OPS in Cactus League play, with 10 of his 14 spring hits going for extra bases. Center field may be his primary home in 2021 after he played mostly at second base in 2020.