Semien went 3-for-6 with a solo homer, a double and an additional run scored in Thursday's 9-7 victory over Detroit.

Semien led off the afternoon with a homer off Kenta Maeda, his third longball of the year, before adding two more hits later in the contest as he wound up a triple shy of a cycle. The 33-year-old Semien has gotten off to another strong start this season while serving as Texas' primary leadoff man, slashing .286/.355/.464 with 17 RBI and 16 runs scored through his first 93 plate appearances.

The Cubs optioned Mastrobuoni to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

He was able to crack the Opening Day roster with Patrick Wisdom on the injured list before the season began. Mastrobuoni appeared in just eight games and only reached base once on a walk across 13 plate appearances. In a corresponding move, Wisdom was activated from the 10-day injured list.

Garcia went 1-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases in Wednesday's win over the Dodgers.

The 23-year-old stole a career-high nine bases last year, and Garcia is already 3-for-3 on the basepaths to begin 2024. After looking like his starting job at second base might be in jeopardy this spring, Garcia's come out of the gate slashing .294/.321/.490 through 16 games with seven doubles, a homer, four runs and eight RBI. He's also been working his way into a better spot in the batting order against right-handers, and he hit cleanup Wednesday. If he stays in the heart of the lineup, Garcia's counting-stat production should pick up.

Massey (back) is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list Friday, Anne Rogers reports.

Nick Loftin was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Thursday and Massey is expected to be activated in a corresponding move ahead of the Royals' weekend series against the Orioles. Massey has been out all season with a lower-back injury but slashed .382/.417/.706 with two home runs in eight rehab games between Omaha and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. The 26-year-old should share playing time at second base with Adam Frazier once activated.

The Royals optioned Loftin to Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.

The transaction likely clears the way for infielder Michael Massey (back) to be activated from the 10-day injured list, but the Royals will wait until shortly before Friday's game against the Orioles before announcing a corresponding move. Loftin has slashed .276/.371/.276 over 13 games in a part-time role for Kansas City this season.

Marte went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Cubs.

Marte led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run, jumping on the first pitch he saw from Jordan Wicks to give the Diamondbacks an early 1-0 lead. He then doubled in his next at-bat to lead off the third and singled home a run in the fifth to tie the game at 2-2. The second baseman continues to swing a hot bat and has now recorded at least three hits in back-to-back contests, raising his batting average to .325 in the process. Marte has also homered in two straight games, giving him five long balls in the early campaign.

Altuve went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to Atlanta.

The veteran second baseman racked up his fifth multi-hit performance over the last seven games, a stretch in which Altuve is batting a blistering .467 (14-for-30). He was hardly cold before that though, and he's failed to collect a hit in only one of his first 20 games. On the season, Altuve is slashing .388/.462/.675 with five homers, two steals, seven RBI and 15 runs scored.

Rodgers (illness) appeared as a pinch runner Wednesday against the Phillies.

Rodgers has been out of the lineup for three games with an illness, but he entered Wednesday's contest in the eighth inning. There hasn't been official word from the club, but his appearance was a positive sign for his availability Friday.

Espinal made a second consecutive start at third base in place of an unavailable Jeimer Candelario (illness) on Wednesday and went 0-for-3 in a 5-1 loss to the Mariners.

Espinal is 0-for-6 in the two starts and hitless over his last eight at-bats. With a scheduled day off Thursday, Candelario could be ready to go Friday at home against the Angels.

Drury won't start and will only be available to pinch hit Wednesday and Thursday against the Rays due to left hamstring tightness, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Drury may still be used as supplementary help with batting, but he will miss his third straight start come Thursday. Though his ability to still pinch hit if necessary is encouraging, the Angels are being cautious with the 31-year-old's hamstring issue, and it is still unknown if he will return to the field Friday against the Reds.