MLB Player News

Lopez went 2-for-3 with a stolen base in Monday's 2-1 win over the White Sox.

Lopez was the only Royal with multiple hits in the contest, and he added a steal in the seventh inning. He's gone 4-for-20 (.200) over his last eight games, which isn't doing much to earn him more playing time. Maikel Garcia is hitting .316 in the majors this year and appears to have taken over as the starting shortstop with Bobby Witt (hand) sidelined. That's left Lopez to compete with Hunter Dozier for time at third base. For the season, Lopez has a mediocre .248/.300/.297 slash line with eight steals, 13 RBI, 35 runs scored, 11 doubles and two triples. He'll likely be in the lineup mostly against right-handed pitchers.

Merrifield went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 2-1 win over the White Sox.

Merrifield's sixth-inning blast provided the Royals' margin of victory. It was his first long ball since July 8, though he knocked five doubles in 12 games between homers. The 33-year-old has maintained a .240/.290/.352 slash line with six homers, 42 RBI, 51 runs scored and 15 stolen bases through 95 contests. Merrifield continues to hit leadoff versus southpaws, but he's lost his spot atop the lineup against right-handed pitchers -- that belongs to MJ Melendez for now. Merrifield's instead hit second the last four times the Royals have faced a righty.

The Red Sox acquired Valdez and Wilyer Abreu from the Astros on Monday in exchange for Christian Vazquez, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

Valdez broke out this season and became one of Houston's top prospects, so he's a nice pickup for Boston. A 23-year-old lefty-hitting infielder, Valdez slashed .327/.410/.606 with 21 home runs in 378 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. Even if Valdez doesn't debut this season, Boston will need to add him to the 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Trejo was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday.

Trejo spent the bulk of the last three months at the Triple-A level, but he will rejoin the big club and take the roster spot of Kris Bryant (foot), who landed on the injured list in the corresponding move. Expect Trejo to fill a utility role for the Rockies.

Julien is batting .292/.436/.494 with 12 homers, 12 steals and a 66:81 BB:K through 74 games for Double-A Wichita.

While Julien is still striking out a fair amount, he's balanced that out with a walk rate north of 20 percent, which has helped him put up some of the best OBP numbers in the minors across the last two seasons. Julien has also found his power stroke recently, smashing five homers in his last 10 games -- a stretch in which he's also hit .324 with a 10:7 BB:K. It's also noteworthy that the 23-year-old Canadian has spent almost the entire 2022 season at second base; last year, he made appearances at first, second, third and left field, but it seems the Twins are no longer grooming him as a jack of all trades. Of course, that also means that he's blocked by Jorge Polanco for the time being.

Hernandez was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Monday.

Hernandez did not get into a game after being recalled Friday, and he will head back to Triple-A for the time being. He has had a couple stints with the big club this season, and chances are he will get at least one more before the campaign comes to a close.

Miller (forearm) is starting Monday against the Diamondbacks.

Miller was scratched from Sunday's lineup due to a forearm bruise, but he'll be back in action a day later. Over his last four games, he's gone 4-for-16 with a double, three runs and two RBI.

Bowman was traded from the Yankees to the Athletics on Monday along with Ken Waldichuk, JP Sears and Luis Medina in exchange for Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

The lone hitter in the return heading to Oakland, Bowman is an older second baseman from the college ranks who boasts premium speed. The 22-year-old righty hitter has a .217/.343/.355 slash line with eight home runs, 35 steals and a 97:55 K:BB in 80 games at High-A.

Ortiz was named the Eastern League Player of the Week on Monday.

Ortiz earned the honors with an impressive week against Double-A Altoona. He his .519 (14-for-27) with three home runs, four doubles, 11 RBI and nine runs scored in six contests. The shortstop prospect has put together an alright campaign to date, slashing .258/.314/.416 with nine homers, 48 RBI, 43 runs scored and a stolen base through 87 games.

The Rangers promoted Acuna from High-A Hickory to Double-A Frisco on Monday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Acuna will move up a rung on the minor-league ladder after slashing .317/.417/.483 with eight home runs and a 28-for-34 success rate on stolen-base attempts across 240 plate appearances at Hickory. The 20-year-old has received exposure to both middle-infield spots this season but is still expected to be developed primarily as a shortstop as he makes the move to Frisco.