MLB Player News

Polanco (knee) is scheduled to play seven innings in his second rehab game Saturday with Low-A Fort Myers, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Polanco played five innings at second base in his rehab debut Thursday and went 1-for-3 with a single and two strikeouts. He could advance to another level after Saturday's game, but the Twins seem to want to slow-play this rehab assignment because Polanco missed most of spring training with a lingering left knee injury. There's no exact timeline for his 2023 debut, but he appears to be getting fairly close.

Lowe isn't in the Rays' lineup for Friday's game against Oakland, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

Lowe, who holds a .689 OPS against southpaws, will take a seat Friday as the A's send Ken Waldichuk to the mound. While he sits, Taylor Walls will start at second base and bat ninth.

Rojas went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Dodgers.

Rojas has four hits, two doubles, three RBI and a stolen base in the last two games. He's settling into what appears to be the strong side of a platoon at third base with Evan Longoria.

Marte went 1-for-4 with a double in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Dodgers.

Marte had a leadoff double in the eighth inning and reached third base on a wild pitch but was stranded there. The hit extended a modest batting streak to four games, during which he's 4-for-17 with three two-baggers. Marte is batting .179 (5-for-28) with one run and one stolen base through seven games.

Estrada (calf) went 3-for-6 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 16-6 win over the White Sox.

Estrada was out of action for a couple of days after fouling a ball off his left calf Monday. He returned with a strong game, though he didn't have any of the Giants' five home runs in Thursday's slugfest. The infielder has been fantastic to start the season, batting .409 (9-for-22) with a home run, three RBI, three runs scored and two stolen bases through five contests. While his bat will eventually cool off, he's pretty close to a lock to be in the lineup most days.

Andrus went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, two RBI and a run scored Thursday against the Giants.

The White Sox were blown out in the game, so when Andrus delivered a two-RBI single in the ninth inning it came off of outfielder Matt Beaty. Andrus' line is less impressive as a result, though he did manage to reach base on a walk and steal third base with Alex Wood on the mound in the second inning. The effort was Andrus' first multi-hit performance of the season, though he does have two stolen bases in only seven games.

Biggio went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Thursday against the Royals.

Biggio was in the lineup for the third time in Toronto's last four games and appears to have a regular role against right-handed pitching. He launched his first homer of the season Thursday, taking Jordan Lyles deep in the fourth inning. Biggio has gotten off to a solid start, as he's maintained a .231 average but has three walks and four strikeouts in 17 plate appearances.

Vargas (thumb) is still sore but is available to pinch hit Thursday against Arizona, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Vargas is able to both hit and throw, but he remains out of the lineup for the second consecutive game with sore right thumb. Unless he suffers a setback, he'll avoid the injured list and could be back for Friday's matchup against the Diamondbacks.

Vargas (thumb) isn't in the Dodgers' lineup Thursday against Arizona, Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA reports.

Thursday marks the second game Vargas will miss after getting hit in the thumb by a pitch Monday. He's reportedly been able to swing a bat just fine, but the issue seems to still be affecting his ability to throw the ball, which could signal the possibility for a pinch-hit opportunity. While Vargas sits, Mookie Betts will start at second base Thursday, opening up right field for Jason Heyward.

Pouaka-Grego tore his ACL in the Australian Baseball League and will miss the 2023 season, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

The 18-year-old infielder hit .301/.424/.466 with three home runs, two steals and as many walks (16) as strikeouts in 35 Florida Complex League games last season. He will presumably open the 2024 season at Single-A.