MLB Player News

Arraez was pulled from Thursday's game against the Padres with an apparent leg injury, Paige Leckie of MLB.com reports.

Arraez appeared to be experiencing some level of discomfort in his left leg following a leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth inning. He stayed in through the seventh before being replaced at second base by Garrett Hampson to begin the top of the eighth. Miami was down 10-1 at the time of the departure, so it could have been precautionary, but it's worth noting that Arraez missed a bit of time last week due to what was described as left leg cramping. He finished 1-for-2 with an RBI sac fly Thursday versus San Diego.

Valdez is starting at second base and batting ninth Thursday against the Reds, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Valdez usually bats eighth in front of catcher Connor Wong against right-handers, but the two have flip-flopped spots for this one. The rookie infielder homered Wednesday but overall has slumped the last couple weeks, going 6-for-35 across his last 13 contests.

Gimenez went 4-for-5 with two RBI in Wednesday's 12-8 win over the Orioles.

Gimenez has four multi-hit efforts and four 0-fers in his last eight games, going 10-for-28 (.357) with one double and three RBI in that span. Even with this showing, he ends May having hit just .230 with three extra-base hits over 25 contests. The second baseman remains a near-everyday player despite a lackluster .242/.305/.344 slash line through 204 plate appearances this season.

The Twins optioned Julien to Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday.

It wasn't Julien's performance that punched his ticket back to the minors, as he batted .286/.333/.500 with two home runs and four RBI in 36 plate appearances since being called up May 20. Rather, Jorge Polanco (hamstring) is back from the injured list, and the Twins felt Julien wasn't going to get enough playing time to warrant being carried on the roster. He'll receive everyday at-bats with St. Paul as he awaits another chance with the parent club.

The Twins reinstated Polanco (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Polanco wound up missing just a little over the minimum amount of time with a strained left hamstring. He bypassed a minor-league rehab assignment and should slide back into his normal role as the Twins' everyday second baseman. Minnesota optioned Edouard Julien to Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move.

Ortiz has yet to play since being optioned to Triple-A Norfolk due to illness, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Ortiz was sent down a week ago, so it must be a nasty bug he's dealing with. He should be considered day-to-day.

Acuna is hitting .302 with three home runs, 18 steals on 18 attempts and a 118 wRC+ in 40 games for Double-A Frisco.

His 50.8 percent groundball rate is a little high, but Acuna's 23 percent line-drive rate and 12.1 percent infield-flyball rate are the best marks of his career. Additionally, his 28.9 percent hard-hit rate is easily a career high. Acuna is not the same type of high-impact offensive player as his big brother, Ronald Acuna, but he is an elite athlete at 5-foot-8 and could feasibly play anywhere on the diamond. His success rate on the bases suggests that will always be a big part of his game.

Marte went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 6-0 win over the Rockies.

Marte singled in the first inning but then later reached on a fielder's choice in the sixth and stole second. It was his second steal over the last three games and his sixth of the year, which is already his highest mark since he had 10 in 2019. The 29-year-old has recorded at least one hit in 23 of the 26 games he played in during May and is currently riding a 10-game hit streak dating back to May 20. For the year, Marte's slashing .279/.336/.475 with eight homers, 22 RBI, 31 runs and a 15:36 BB:K over 226 plate appearances.

Julien will be optioned to Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Julien performed well after being recalled to the majors May 20, slashing .286/.333/.500 with two homers and four RBI in 36 plate appearances. He'll be forced back to Triple-A due to the return of Jorge Polanco (hamstring), but the 24-year-old prospect will almost certainly be back with the Twins at some point this year if he continues to crush minor-league pitching.

The Twins will activate Polanco (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list Thursday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

A strained left hamstring sent Polanco to the injured list May 20, and he will return after spending little more than the minimum time on the IL. The 29-year-old infielder was seeing the ball extremely well prior to getting injured, slashing .316/.435/.737 with two homers and three RBI across his last five games. His return will send Edouard Julien back to Triple-A St. Paul.