MLB Player News

Semien went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Monday in a 5-1 win against the Angels.

A day after hitting two homers versus Seattle, Semien went deep again Monday, swatting a solo shot to left field in the seventh inning. The blast put him at 28 homers and 98 RBI on the campaign, and he's within reach of his second career season with at least 100 runs batted in. Eight of Semien's homers have come in September, and he's added 17 RBI, 19 runs and a .287 average through 23 contests this month.

Stefanic will start at second base and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Rangers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

He'll stick in the lineup for the sixth game in a row and appears poised to receive steady playing time over the final week of the regular season in what could amount to an audition for an everyday role heading into the 2023 campaign. Since being called up from Triple-A Salt Lake a week ago, Stefanic has gone 8-for-18 with a double, a walk, a run and an RBI.

Polanco went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's win over the Twins.

Polanco took Carson Fulmer deep in the third and now has a hit in 18 of his last 22 games dating back to Aug. 26. Over that span, he's slashing .295/.376/.568 with six homers, 19 RBI, 17 runs scored and a 12:27 BB:K. He should continue to hit near the top of the order as the Twins gear up for the playoffs.

Semien went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Sunday's win over the Mariners.

Semien led things off with a solo home run and then had his second of the day in the fourth, which had the benefit of bouncing off Julio Rodriguez's glove and over the fence. Sunday was his third game with multiple homers this month and gives him a legit shot to surpass 30 home runs and 100 RBI for the second time in the last three seasons. The 32-year-old has put together another impactful campaign, slashing .277/.350/.475 with 27 long balls, 97 RBI, 117 runs and a 69:103 BB:K in 721 plate appearances.

Schneider is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

Schneider worked as Toronto's primary second baseman for the first half of September, but he's 0-for-30 over his past eight contests and will sit Sunday for the third time in five games. Whit Merrifield will start at second base and bat eighth in the series finale at Tampa Bay.

Valdez started at second base and went 2-for-4 in Saturday's 1-0 loss to the White Sox.

Valdez, who was called up Friday after the Red Sox placed Luis Urias (calf) on the injured list, is expected to share second base with prospect Ceddanne Rafaela over the final week of the season. Rafaela will also see time in center field or shortstop.

Frazier isn't in the Orioles' lineup Sunday against Cleveland.

Frazier will take a seat Sunday after going 0-for-9 with four strikeouts across the first three games of the series. Jordan Westburg will start at second base in Frazier's absence, moving Gunnar Henderson to third while Jorge Mateo starts at shortstop.

Gimenez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a loss to the Orioles on Saturday.

Gimenez's seventh inning solo homer was the only thing that prevented an Orioles shutout and no-hitter on a day when Cleveland's other hitters were held entirely in check. The long ball extended the infielder's hitting streak to seven games, during which he's gone 13-for-28 (.464) with seven RBI and two steals. Gimenez is slashing a modest .253/.317/.399 on the campaign but has maintained fantasy relevance with 14 home runs, 61 RBI, 73 runs and 30 stolen bases.

Westburg isn't in the Orioles' lineup Saturday against Cleveland, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Westburg hasn't logged a hit in his last 12 plate appearances, so he'll begin on the bench as the O's look for more production on offense. Ramon Urias will get the nod at third base and bat seventh.

Rojas isn't in the Mariners' lineup Saturday against Texas.

Left-hander Jordan Montgomery is set to start on the mound for the Rangers, so the left-handed bat of Rojas will sit down to begin the game. Jose Caballero will cover second base and bat ninth in Rojas' place.