MLB Player News

Westburg is absent from the lineup for Saturday's game in Tampa Bay, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

It's a rare off day versus a lefty for Westburg, although it's no ordinary southpaw in Shane McClanahan. Gunnar Henderson will be at third base while Jorge Mateo plays shortstop.

Diaz went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and a bases-loaded walk in a loss to the Astros on Friday.

The rookie accounted for half of the Athletics' runs on the night with a timely third-inning knock and a disciplined plate appearance in the fifth that led to a walk. Diaz has hit safely in three of his past four games and now has a trio of two-RBI efforts since July 5 while also generating a .297 average and .828 OPS across 41 plate appearances during the latter span.

Caballero went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays.

Caballero's playing time is on the rise again -- he's started four of the last five games at second base, including three times against right-handed pitchers. The 26-year-old has gone just 3-for-16 with one RBI in that span, but it's not like Kolten Wong (4-for-30 in July) is doing much better. Caballero is up to a .228/.354/.333 slash line with 16 steals, three home runs, 21 RBI and 23 runs scored through 198 plate appearances this year.

Kemp went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and two runs scored in Friday's 6-4 loss to the Astros.

Kemp saw his seven-game hitting streak snapped Thursday, but he bounced back well Friday. The 31-year-old has shown more of a willingness to run lately, recording seven steals over his last 16 contests. He's slashing a meager .213/.306/.307 with three home runs, 19 RBI, 31 runs scored, seven doubles and three triples over 79 contests, and his 11 stolen bases match his career high from last year. Kemp is seeing most of his playing time in left field lately, though that could change once Ramon Laureano (hand) is activated from the injured list.

Massey finished 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in the Royals' loss to the Yankees on Friday.

Massey entered the day in a rut, but he parked a three-run shot to right field off Clarke Schmidt in the top of the fourth inning and added a solo drive off Tommy Kahnle in the top of the eighth. It was the first career multi-homer game for the 25-year-old second baseman, who now has six home runs in 243 plate appearances this year.

Torres went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in the Yankees' win over the Royals on Friday.

Torres belted a 383-foot shot to right-center off Royals starter Alec Marsh in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead. Torres has been in a groove at the plate since late June and is currently working on an 11-game hitting streak.

Drury (shoulder) is going through a full workout Friday, Luca Evans of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Drury said he's unsure on an exact timeline for his return to the Angels' active roster, but he would seem to be getting pretty close to heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment. The 30-year-old infielder has been on the injured list since July 2 due to left shoulder inflammation.

Polanco (hamstring) will get reps at third base during his rehab assignment, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Rookie Edouard Julien has been the Twins' best hitter lately, so he may remain the go-to option at second base against right-handed pitching even once Polanco is healthy. The 30-year-old infielder could instead play third base against righties and second base against southpaws. Polanco is hitting .200 with four strikeouts and two walks through three rehab games.

Julien, who is starting at second base and hitting second Friday against the White Sox, got a vote of confidence with the news that Jorge Polanco (hamstring) will get reps at third base during his rehab assignment, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Given that Julien is arguably the game's hottest hitter, with a .593 batting average and three home runs in his last eight games, the Twins probably would have found a spot for him even if Jorge Polanco wasn't adding third base to his repertoire. This is still a nice sign that the Twins may feel they have found their second baseman of the present and future in Julien, although they haven't yet committed to giving him an everyday role. While he generally hits second against righties, Julien hasn't started against a lefty since June 19.

Ibanez is not in the starting lineup Friday versus the Padres.

Ibanez will take a seat after he started all four games of a series with Kansas City, going 4-for-12 with an RBI and a run scored over those contests. Nick Maton will draw the start at second base and bat seventh in the series opener with San Diego.