MLB Player News

Arroyo is not in Thursday's lineup against the Twins.

David Hamilton and Pablo Reyes will man the middle infield spots while Arroyo and Enrique Hernandez open the game on the bench. Arroyo has seven hits in nine at-bats over his last two games and should still be a prominent option at the keystone going forward.

Kemp went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs in a loss to the Guardians on Wednesday.

Kemp authored one of two multi-hit efforts for the Athletics on the night, extending his hitting streak to six games in the process. As rotten a string of luck at the plate as the veteran endured over most of the first two plus-months of the season, the pendulum seems to have swung completely in the opposite direction. With the help of a massive boost in hard-contact rate from 21.2 percent to 46.7 percent, Kemp is sporting an astounding .538 BABIP during his current hot stretch that thoroughly dwarfs the .163 figure he was saddled with from Opening Day through June 14.

Kim went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Giants.

Kim has hit safely in the last six games he's started, going 10-for-23 (.435) with two steals, two RBI and four runs scored in that span. The second baseman now has a career-high 13 steals through just 70 contests on the year. He's been solid overall, slashing .250/.337/.364 with five home runs, 21 RBI, 30 runs scored and 10 doubles while maintaining a starting role at the keystone.

Vargas went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 2-0 win over the Angels.

Vargas had gone 0-for-20 over his last six games and came up empty in his first three at-bats Wednesday before knocking a ninth-inning solo shot. It snapped an 11-game homer drought for the infielder. He continues to see regular playing time, but he's slashing just .207/.309/.388 with seven homers, 30 RBI, 32 runs scored and three stolen bases over 69 contests. Vargas also struck out three times Wednesday, but he's displayed a decent eye at the plate with a 19.9 percent strikeout rate and a 12.4 percent walk rate on the year.

Short went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and three total RBI in Wednesday's 9-4 win over the Royals.

Despite batting ninth, Short played a key offensive role in the win. The utility infielder entered the game mired in a 1-for-14 slump, but he bounced back in a big way and is now batting .271 for the season. Short is just a career .180 hitter.

Hoerner went 2-for-5 with a triple, a solo home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Wednesday's win over the Pirates.

Hoerner was all over the bases Wednesday, registering his third triple of the year and fifth home run. The infielder now has at least one hit in nine of his last 10 games, and he's batting a solid .284 for the season. Hoerner should remain locked in as Chicago's leadoff man, giving him plenty of fantasy value due to his ability to get on base and score runs.

Estrada isn't starting Wednesday against San Diego, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Estrada has cooled off at the plate recently, hitting just 4-for-22 (.182) with one RBI in his last five games, so he'll get a day to regroup Wednesday. Casey Schmitt (arm) will fill in at second base in Estrada's absence, allowing Brandon Crawford to start at shortstop and bat eighth.

Remillard will start at second base and bat ninth Wednesday against the Rangers.

After coming off the bench and reaching base in all four plate appearances in his MLB debut in last Saturday's 4-3 win over the Mariners, Remillard will now pick up his fourth consecutive start at second base. Remillard, who has gone 2-for-12 with an RBI in his first three starts, will likely continue to hold down a spot in the Chicago middle infield until Tim Anderson (shoulder) is ready to return to the lineup.

Kemp will start at second base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Guardians.

At least for the time being, Kemp seems to have re-emerged as the Athletics' preferred starting second baseman against right-handed pitching. He'll stick in the lineup for the third straight game while Jace Peterson slides back over to third base in place of Jonah Bride, who appears to have moved into a reserve role.

Valdez was removed Tuesday in the top of the third inning of Triple-A Worcester's 7-5 win over Lehigh Valley due to a jammed thumb, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

While Valdez's injury doesn't seem significant on the surface, it couldn't come at a worse time with the Red Sox's middle-infield depth taking another hit Tuesday, when Pablo Reyes was revealed to be dealing with abdominal soreness. The Red Sox remain hopeful that Reyes will avoid a trip to the injured list, but the team will still add an extra infielder to the taxi squad Wednesday in case Reyes' condition is worse than anticipated. Though Valdez likely would have been the logical choice to join the taxi squad after he previously played in 33 games with the big club earlier this season, his thumb injury prompted the Red Sox to bring Worcester infielder David Hamilton aboard.