MLB Player News

Lopez will start at third base and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Tigers, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Lopez will stick in the lineup for the third straight game after he reached base five times in the final two contests of the Royals' series with the Angels over the weekend. While Mike Massey (hand) is on the injured list, Lopez could get the chance to re-establish himself as a lineup regular for Kansas City, though the newly recalled Samad Taylor will likely challenge Lopez for playing time.

Gonzalez was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday with right shoulder inflammation, LaMond Pope of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Gonzalez has dealt with the injury for nearly a week and the White Sox finally decided to put him on the IL. He'll be eligible to return on June 28, although it's unclear at this time whether he will be ready by then. Zach Remillard is starting at second base Monday and the White Sox also called up Jose Rodriguez.

Castro is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds.

With lefty Brandon Williamson on the bump for Cincinnati, the lefty-hitting Castro will take a seat for the series opener. Coco Montes will fill in at second base for Castro, who still appears to have a hold on a strong-side platoon role.

Dubon is not in the starting lineup Monday against the Mets, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Dubon will take a seat after he went 1-for-6 with a strikeout during Sunday's 9-7 loss to the Reds. Chas McCormick will take over in left field and bat sixth in the series opener with New York.

Merrifield is not in the starting lineup Monday versus the Marlins.

Merrifield will take a seat after he went 3-for-12 with two RBI and a run scored while starting all three games of the team's series with Texas. The 34-year-old has now recorded at least one hit in 10 consecutive games, batting .361 with two doubles, four RBI, two runs and two stolen bases over that stretch. Cavan Biggio will replace him at second base and bat eighth in the series opener with Miami.

Rojas was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Monday.

Rojas' season batting line had fallen to .235/.301/.306 and he had started only four of his team's last nine games. The Diamondbacks have ultimately decided it would be best for him to work through his struggles in the minors. Emmanuel Rivera has cooled off recently but could be in line for the bulk of the starts at third base, with Evan Longoria also in the mix.

The Pirates optioned Mathias to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.

Mathias has managed a meager .624 OPS across 22 games with the Pirates this season. He'll move off the 26-man active roster as the Pirates clear a spot for top prospect Henry Davis, who will make his MLB debut Monday versus the Cubs.

Kemp went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk in a loss to the Phillies on Sunday.

The bar is lowered for what qualifies as a hot streak for Kemp thus far in 2023, so his fourth straight game with a hit is noteworthy by those standards. The profound extent of the veteran's struggles has been somewhat of a mystery by the metrics -- he's carrying an impressive 11.3 percent walk rate and minuscule 11.8 percent strikeout rate -- yet a .182 BABIP has been a major albatross. Kemp may finally be starting to come into some better luck when making contact, but regular playing time is anything but assured on a non-contending team as the season heads into the heart of summer.

Rodgers (shoulder) is slated to begin hitting drills this week, MLB.com reports.

Rodgers will hit softer practice balls in the batting cage as he slowly ramps things up following surgery during spring training to repair the labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder. He's also fielded some grounders and done some running drills. He still has a long way to go, but the hope is Rodgers might be able to return sometime in August.

Torres belted a two-run homer in the matinee Sunday before going 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles in the nightcap against Boston.

Torres provided a bright spot in an otherwise rough day for the Yankees. He opened the scoring in the first game with a two-run shot off Kaleb Ort, his 12th homer of the year and his third since June 8. Following a 1-for-20 stretch to start June, the 26-year-old Torres has gone 9-for-29 (.310) with a 1.065 OPS over his last nine games. He's now slashing .256/.331/.439 with 30 RBI, 41 runs scored and six steals through 296 plate appearances this season.