MLB Player News

Frazier produced his first two-hit game since May 24 on Sunday, going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI against the Mets.

He was batting just .125 in his last 32 at-bats prior to Sunday. Since returning from a hamstring injury May 12, Frazier has hit leadoff exclusively. With a .380 on-base percentage, he should score plenty of runs atop Pittsburgh's lineup.

Merrifield went 3-for-4, raising his average to .307, in Sunday's 8-0 loss to the Indians.

Merrifield is riding a 19-game hitting streak, the longest in the majors this season. Since May 13, the second baseman is 27-for-66 (.409) with three home runs, nine RBI, 10 runs and four stolen bases. After not making the Opening Day roster, Merrifield is now making a case to represent the Royals on the AL All-Star team.

Espinosa is out of the lineup Sunday against the Twins, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

For the second straight game, Espinosa will cede a start at the keystone to Cliff Pennington, who lacks the pop of Espinosa, but offers a more contact-oriented approach at the plate. Espinosa's 34.9 percent strikeout rate has played a large part in his batting average sitting at just .154 on the season, and he's unlikely to curb the whiffs enough to notice much recovery in that category, even if his depressed .211 BABIP rebounds a bit.

Polanco is out of the lineup Sunday against the Angels, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

An 0-for-4 showing Saturday dropped Polanco's on-base percentage below .300 for the season, but thanks to his strong defense up the middle and skills as a contact hitter, the 23-year-old doesn't look to be in much danger of giving up his everyday role. Polanco will just get a day off to clear his mind, with the lightly-used Ehire Adrianza subbing in for him at shortstop.

Hernandez will start in right field and bat eighth Sunday against the Brewers, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

It's the fifth start in six games for Hernandez, whose versatility has afforded him turns at three different positions during that stretch. However, once Joc Pederson (concussion) and Justin Turner (hamstring) return from the disabled list, it's expected that Hernandez will see his at-bats fall by the wayside, especially with fellow utility man Chris Taylor outperforming him.

Arroyo was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Arroyo received consistent playing time at third base and shortstop following his promotion on April 24 but struggled to find his footing at the plate and was slashing just .192/.244/.304 over his first 135 plate appearances. With Hunter Pence (hamstring) being activated from the disabled list Sunday, Arroyo will return to Triple-A, where he'll receive consistent playing time with the hopes of correcting some of the issues with his swing. Despite his early big-league woes, the 22-year-old remains an attractive keeper league asset.

Forsythe (hip) is batting leadoff and playing third base during Sunday's game against the Brewers.

Forsythe was absent from Saturday's lineup due to right hip flexor tightness but is feeling well enough to rejoin the team for the series finale against the Brewers. The 30-year-old has struggled at the plate since returning from the disabled list on May 23 but will look to get things going as he serves as the leadoff man against Zach Davies.

Drury is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.

With just three hits in his previous 19 at-bats, Drury will head to the bench while Daniel Descalso takes over at second base. Expect to see Drury back in the lineup Tuesday against the Padres.

Altuve went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs in Saturday's 6-5 win over Texas.

Altuve's eighth-inning home run off Keone Kela proved to be the difference in a one-run win for the Astros. The long ball was Altuve's third hit of the game, something he's been doing with regularity over the last week. In his last seven games, Altuve has three or more hits four times, and he now ranks fourth in the majors in hits. During the mini hit streak, he is 17-for-31 (.548) with six RBI. He's one of the premier offensive options out there, and he's red hot right now.

Andrus went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, two runs, three RBI and a stolen base in a 6-5 loss to the Astros on Saturday.

Andrus really filled up the boxscore Saturday. He now has a nine-game hitting streak, and he's collected three hits in four of those games. During the streak, he is 18-for-39 (.462) with 11 RBI. Andrus has also started running again during the hot streak, stealing six bases to bring his total to 13 for the season. His 32 RBI ranks second in the American League among shortstops.