MLB Player News

Schneider will start at second base and bat fifth in Friday's game against the Yankees.

It will be Schneider's first start at the keystone in the early going and just his third start overall. Cavan Biggio is on the bench against a right-hander for the first time. The 25-year-old Schneider has already cranked a pair of home runs in his first nine plate appearances this season.

Biggio is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Biggio is mired in a 3-for-17 slump to begin the season and will head to the bench for Friday's series opener in New York. Davis Schneider will take over at second base against Yankees righty Marcus Stroman.

Frazier isn't in the Royals' lineup for Thursday's game against the White Sox, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Frazier will get a breather Thursday after going 0-for-6 during the Royals' last series versus Baltimore. Nick Loftin will take over for him at the keystone and bat eighth.

Massey (back) will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Friday.

Massey has been sidelined since mid-March due to a lower-back strain, but his back has held up well during simulated games at the Royals' spring training complex, and he's now been cleared to resume action in a competitive setting. It's unclear how many games the Royals want the 26-year-old infielder to play in the minors, but a return to Kansas City doesn't seem far away.

Urias went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk in a loss to the Guardians on Wednesday.

The modestly successful day at the plate, which came in Urias' third start, snapped the infielder out of a season-opening 0-for-8 slump. The 26-year-old has split time at the hot corner with Josh Rojas thus far, and perhaps Wednesday's performance will help ignite his bat after he also cooled off over the latter portion of spring training following a hot start to Cactus League play.

Polanco went 1-for-4 in a loss to the Guardians on Wednesday and is hitting just .115 (4-for-26) with no extra-base hits over his first seven games.

The veteran's Mariners tenure could hardly be off to a more inauspicious start, and compounding the concern is the fact Polanco has also generated an alarming 42.9 percent strikeout rate in that sample of 28 plate appearances. The 30-year-old posted a career-high 25.7 percent strikeout rate with the Twins last season as well, so it remains to be seen if the poor contact rate early this season ultimately proves to be an extension of that troublesome pattern. Polanco does now have a single in three consecutive contests, a mildly encouraging development after he opened the campaign going 1-for-14 in his first four contests.

Altuve went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

Altuve concluded an offensive barrage by the Astros, as his solo home run in the seventh inning put the team up 8-0. He now has three homers on the season, all of which have come in his last four games. Altuve has also begun the new campaign with a seven-game hitting streak, including three multi-hit performances.

Caballero went 1-for-4 with a stolen base Wednesday against the Rangers.

Caballero has been in the lineup for six of the Rays' first seven games, hitting between sixth and ninth in the order. He's still found ways to be productive, as he's reached base eight times across 22 plate appearances with six combined RBI and runs scored. Most intriguing has been his aggressiveness on the basepaths, as Caballero now has three stolen bases on the season while being caught once.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday that he's hopeful Lowe (oblique) will be ready to return to the lineup Saturday in Colorado, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe exited Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Rangers due to left side tightness, but Cash said the second baseman wanted to remain in the game. The manager hopes that the team's off day Thursday combined with a left-hander starting for the Rockies on Friday will allow Lowe sufficient rest before he can return to action Saturday. Side injuries can be tricky, though, so an eventual stint on the injured list can't be ruled out.

Rengifo was lifted from Wednesday's game in Miami after feeling lightheaded.

Rengifo went 1-for-3 with a run scored at the plate before exiting. Consider him day-to-day for the time being. Nolan Schanuel entered the game in Rengifo's place, with Miguel Sano shifting from first to third base.