MLB Player News

Hoerner went 1-for-2 with two walks, a double and two RBI in Saturday's loss to the Brewers.

Hoerner is off to a strong start at the MLB level, going 4-for-6 in two starts following his Thursday call-up. The 23-year-old started at shortstop Saturday with Javier Baez getting a day off, but he could get regular playing time at second base moving forward over David Bote and Eric Sogard, so long as he stays productive at the plate.

Short was optioned to the Tigers' alternate training site following Saturday's loss to the Royals, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Short was called up by the Tigers on Wednesday and went 1-for-5 with two walks and three strikeouts while appearing in three games. However, he'll now be removed from the major-league roster to make room for Miguel Cabrera (biceps), who will be activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Sunday's game against Kansas City.

Mayfield was designated for assignment by the Angels on Saturday.

Mayfield was optioned to the Angels' alternate training site April 14, and he'll now be removed from the 40-man roster. The 30-year-old went hitless in three at-bats with the major-league club earlier in the season.

Altuve confirmed Saturday that he had tested positive for COVID-19, but he now feels good, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Altuve was one of five players the Astros placed on the COVID-19 injured list last week, but the second baseman was the only one to test positive for the virus. The 30-year-old was cleared to work out with his teammates Friday since he has now cleared the league's health and safety protocols. Altuve said Saturday that he isn't sure when he'll be cleared to return to game action, but he thinks that it will be "pretty soon," Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

Hernandez isn't starting Saturday's game against the Mariners, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Hernandez had recorded hits in four of the last five games and went 5-for-24 with four extra-base hits, four runs and two RBI during that time. Christian Arroyo will take over at second base and lead off Saturday.

Castro is starting at second base and batting seventh in Saturday's game against the Royals.

Castro gets the nod at second with the slumping Niko Goodrum heading to the bench. Castro is batting .294 in limited action this year, but he also batted .347 last year and .291 back in 2019, so the 27-year-old has shown that he's capable of collecting plenty of hits at the MLB level.

Hoerner went 3-for-4 with a walk, two doubles and an RBI in Friday's 15-2 win over the Brewers.

Making his first start off the season after getting called up Thursday, Hoerner delivered for the Cubs right away. Chicago isn't getting a ton of production from David Bote or Eric Sogard at second base, so there's an opportunity for Hoerner to seize regular playing time if he's productive at the plate. The 23-year-old looked good in a 20-game debut back in 2019, posting a .282/.305/.436 slash line, but those numbers fell to .222/.312/.259 across 48 games last year.

Lopez isn't starting Saturday's game against the Tigers.

Lopez had started each of the last five contests and went 4-for-17 with two doubles, four RBI and three runs during that time. Hanser Alberto will start at shortstop while Hunter Dozier starts at the hot corner Saturday.

Rojas went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Friday's 5-4 loss to Atlanta.

Rojas got the start at shortstop in place of the slumping Nick Ahmed and hit safely in his third straight start. Manager Torey Lovullo said Ahmed remains the starting shortstop for now, but Rojas' bat is heating up. He's gone 5-for-13 with a double, a home run, three RBI and five runs scored over his last five appearances (three starts).

Semien went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and one strikeout in Friday's 5-3 win over the Rays.

Semien capped off a four-run rally with two outs in the first inning Friday by hitting his fifth home run of the year. The 30-year-old is now slashing .208/.279/.403 with five home runs, 10 RBI and four stolen bases this season.