MLB Player News

Lopez isn't in the Royals' lineup Saturday against the Dodgers.

With southpaw Julio Urias set to return from his hamstring injury Saturday, the lefty-hitting Lopez will remain in the Royals' dugout to begin the game. Matt Duffy will fill in at second base and bat sixth.

Gonzales will sit Saturday against MIlwaukee.

Gonzales sits for the second time in eight games since getting called up for the first time last week. He's managed three extra-base hits, including one homer, but he's also striking out at a 32.0 percent clip. Ji Hwan Bae and Tucupita Marcano will be the middle infielders Saturday.

Andrus isn't in the White Sox's lineup Saturday against the Athletics.

Saturday marks the third time in four days that Andrus will remain in the dugout to begin the game. Zach Remillard will take over for Andrus once again at second base and bat ninth.

Stott will sit Saturday against lefty MacKenzie Gore and the Nationals.

The Phillies have been going away from Stott against southpaws recently, as he's now sat against four of the last five the team has faced, with Josh Harrison getting the nod each time. Stott has actually fared better against same-sided pitching in both of his MLB seasons thus far, slashing .289/.355/.417 against lefties for his career and just .249/.294/.370 against righties, a fact which could see him return to a true everyday role down the line.

Altuve went 1-for-5 with a home run and two RBI on Friday against the Rangers.

Altuve led off the game with a home run, his fifth of the season and second in three games since returning from a heel injury. He's gone 4-for-10 in that same span, also piling up five runs scored and six RBI. Though it's been a frustrating season for Altuve from a health perspective, he has maintained an excellent 143 wRC+ and .375 wOBA across 129 plate appearances.

Kemp went 2-for-4 with an RBI triple, a stolen base and a run in a win over the White Sox on Friday.

The veteran's second-inning three-bagger was his first of the season and extended Kemp's hot stretch at the plate to 14 games. The 31-year-old owns a .333 average and .976 OPS over that span. Kemp also has three of his six steals on the season in the sample, and the fact he's on a non-contending team has afforded him the necessary time to bust out of what was at one point a career-worst offensive funk.

Merrifield isn't in the Blue Jays' lineup Saturday against the Red Sox, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Merrifield is 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in his last two games and will receive Saturday off to regroup. While Merrifield sits, Cavan Biggio will start at second base and bat eighth, and Daulton Varsho will take over in left field.

Donovan (arm) is on the bench for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Yankees, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Donovan was expected to sit Friday due to arm soreness, though the game wound up getting rained out. He'll be out for at least the afternoon portion of Saturday's twin bill, but his injury only prevents him from throwing, so he could still serve as a designated hitter or pinch hitter at some point in one of the day's two games. Nolan Gorman starts at second base.

Kim (hamstring) will lead off and play second base Saturday against the Reds, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Kim sat out Friday's series opener while dealing with a tight hamstring, though he made an appearance off the bench and drew a walk. He'll be involved from the start Saturday and will look to build on his .373/.421/.647 line over the last 15 games.

Hoerner went 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI in Friday's 10-1 win over the Guardians. He also stole a base.

All of Hoerner's hits were singles, but he was able to maximize his output. Getting on base regularly has allowed the infielder to run wild this year, as he now has 18 stolen bases in 20 attempts. He had a career-high 20 steals in 2022, so it seems likely that he'll fly past that figure. The basestealing should allow Hoerner to maintain fantasy value the rest of the way.