MLB Player News

Massey (back) will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday at Triple-A Omaha.

On the shelf with a low back ligament sprain, Massey received an injection May 31 and appears to have responded favorably. He was cleared to resume baseball activities early last week and has checked out fine after steadily increasing the intensity of his hitting and running over the last several days. The Royals haven't determined how long Massey's rehab assignment will last, but he may only need two or three games with Omaha to get his timing back at the plate before potentially making his return from the 10-day injured list as soon as this weekend.

Polanco (hamstring) started at second base in High-A Everett's win over Eugene on Sunday and went 0-for-1 with two walks before being replaced defensively in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Polanco was able to take another step with his time on the field, even if it was relatively brief. The veteran has reached safely in each of his first two rehab games, and he's now poised to shift his assignment to Triple-A Tacoma when the Rainiers resume play Tuesday.

Lowe went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Sunday against Atlanta.

Lowe collected two hits, including his fourth round-tripper of the season. It was the second time in three games and fourth time this month Lowe has collected two hits in a game. The veteran second baseman struggled initially after missing more than a month with an oblique injury, but he has turned things up a bit since the calendar shifted to June, batting .267 with three homers, 11 RBI, seven runs and a steal over 45 at-bats through 12 games this month.

Schneemann went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and two additional runs scored in Sunday's loss to Toronto.

Schneemann took Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios deep in the sixth inning to record his first big-league home run. The rookie third-baseman has more than held his own since making his MLB debut June 2, slashing .375/.483/.667 with one home run, five RBI and four runs scored across 29 plate appearances.

Rengifo suffered a left wrist contusion in Sunday's 13-6 loss to the Giants, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports. He went 1-for-2 with a run scored prior to his departure.

Rengifo took a line drive single from Matt Chapman off his left arm in the bottom of the fourth inning while playing third base, exiting the contest thereafter. The 27-year-old underwent X-rays, which showed just a contusion, and he said that he expects to play Monday against the Brewers. Rengifo can be considered day-to-day for the time being.

Altuve went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer, two runs and a stolen base in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Tigers.

With two men on and two out in the second inning, Altuve took Kenta Maeda deep for his 11th long ball of the season. He added another hit and then reached on a walk in the eighth to then pick up his 10th stolen base of the campaign. It was Altuve's second home run in his last seven games after a streak of 17 games without a blast. The second baseman has been hot as of late, hitting .333 in June, and for the season he's slashing a healthy .299/.350/.460.

Loftin is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.

He'll give way to Garrett Hampson at second base for the series finale. Loftin had manned the keystone in seven of the Royals' previous eight games and should remain Kansas City's primary option at the position until Michael Massey (back) returns from the injured list.

Lopez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

The lefty-hitting Lopez will take a seat while southpaw Jordan Montgomery starts for the Diamondbacks. Danny Mendick will fill in for Lopez at the keystone.

Stefanic will start at second base and bat leadoff in Sunday's game against the Giants, Erica Weston of Bally Sports West reports.

The Giants are opening the game with a left-hander (Erik Miller) on the hill, so the right-handed-hitting Stefanic will displace the Angels' usual leadoff man -- the lefty-hitting Nolan Schanuel -- atop the lineup. Stefanic had started in two of the previous three games while batting ninth in the order on both occasions, and he could end up serving as the Angels' preferred option at second base until Brandon Drury (hamstring) returns from the injured list.

Gelof is not in the lineup for the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Twins.

Gelof will get an extended breather of sorts, having also sat out Saturday, but he will likely be back in there to face Chris Paddack in the nightcap. After breaking out to the tune of an .841 OPS, 14 homers and 14 steals in just 69 games last season, Gelof has struggled to a .558 OPS, five homers and seven steals through 52 games in 2024.