MLB Player News

Biggio will start at second base and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Pirates.

The utility man will make his third start in four games, this time filling in at the keystone for Santiago Espinal (hand) after making his previous two starts at first base. Espinal is considered day-to-day with the hand injury, so if he's available to return at some point during the Blue Jays' upcoming series with the Orioles that begins Monday, Biggio will likely see his playing time take a hit.

Espinal (hand) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

Even though Espinal escaped with no structural damage to his left hand after being struck by a pitch in Saturday's 4-1 win, he'll be on the bench for the series finale while he recovers from a painful contusion. Cavan Biggio steps in at second base for Espinal, who can be considered day-to-day heading into Monday's doubleheader in Baltimore.

Arroyo started at first base and went 0-for-3 in Saturday's 5-3 win over Texas.

Arroyo became the first Red Sox player to make consecutive starts at first base -- one against a left-hander and one against right-hander -- over the last week of games. Just as it looks like he might get the bulk of playing time at first, the Red Sox will call up first base prospect Triston Casas on Sunday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. The lefty-swinging Casas is expected to make his major-league debut Sunday against Texas right-hander Dane Dunning.

Semien went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Red Sox.

The Rangers were held in check through seven innings, before Semien's two-run blast in the eighth brought life to the team. Nathaniel Lowe homered two batters later, and Texas loaded the bases in the ninth but couldn't finish the comeback. The homer extended Semien's hitting streak to seven games (11-for-29, .379), and he has posted a .345/.383/.618 line with eight extra-base hits, nine RBI and 14 runs in 13 contests over the last two weeks.

Altuve went 2-for-5 with a double and a stolen base Saturday against the Angels.

Altuve was one of the offensive bright spots for the Astros' offense Saturday, as he tallied his 32nd double and 14th stolen base of the season. He now has eight multi-hit performances in his last 13 games, and he's hit .358 with two home runs, six RBI, two stolen bases and 12 runs scored in that span. Altuve has been excellent throughout the season and maintained a .287/.374/.513 line across 497 plate appearances.

Garcia went 4-for-5 with a solo home run and two doubles in Saturday's 7-1 win over the Mets.

Garcia has three multi-hit efforts in his last four games, though this was the first time he's had multiple extra-base hits since Aug. 2. The infielder opened the scoring with his first-inning solo shot. The 22-year-old's recent surge has boosted his batting average to .300 with a .759 OPS, six homers, 29 RBI, 21 runs scored, two stolen bases and 16 doubles through 67 contests this year.

Gonzalez went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 13-0 win over the Twins.

Gonzalez went deep in the fourth inning to stretch Chicago's lead to 7-0. It was his first big-league homer in his 21st game, and he also doubled his RBI output for the year to six. The 25-year-old infielder has added a .317/.341/.439 slash line through 11 contests this season, but he could be at risk of losing playing time once Yoan Moncada (hamstring) returns, which is likely to happen early next week.

Andrus went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and an additional run scored in Saturday's 13-0 win over the Twins.

Andrus helped the White Sox pile on in the eighth inning after Minnesota sent position player Nick Gordon to the mound. In his last seven games, Andrus has gone 11-for-29 (.379) with two homers, seven RBI, five runs and a double. He's settled back into the leadoff spot in September, and he's now slashing .243/.302/.379 with 10 long balls, 41 RBI, 48 runs and eight steals through 120 games overall.

Espinal left Saturday's game against the Pirates with a left hand contusion.

X-rays were negative after Espinal was hit by a 97.9-mph fastball from Robert Stephenson in the eighth inning. If there's swelling, the Blue Jays could elect to go with Whit Merrifield or Cavan Biggio at second base for the series finale in Pittsburgh.

Lux (back) received a cortisone shot Saturday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Back issues have cost Lux the last two games, and he's expected to sit for at least another four or five days. The Dodgers are holding off on placing him on the injured list for now, but such a move could still happen in the coming days if Lux doesn't make the desired progress.