MLB Player News

Julien went 3-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Mariners.

Julien has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, going 12-for-21 (.571) with six extra-base hits in that span. His steal Monday was his second of the campaign. The second baseman is more than holding his own against major-league pitching with a .298/.373/.525 slash line, seven home runs, 14 RBI, 21 runs scored and 11 doubles through 162 plate appearances, though his 32.1 percent strikeout rate is a bit lofty.

Diaz was lifted from Monday's game against the Red Sox due to illness, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The team didn't disclose many details surrounding Diaz's status moving forward, so he'll be considered day-to-day until more information comes to light. He went 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts prior to being removed.

Westburg will sit Monday against the Dodgers, Danielle Allentuck of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Westburg will remain on the bench for a second game in a row Monday after he went 0-for-8 with four punchouts over the team's first two contests following the All-Star break. Ramon Urias will draw another start at third base and bat eighth in the series opener with Los Angeles.

Lopez will start at third base and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Tigers, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Lopez will stay in the lineup for the fifth time in six games, this time filling in for a resting Maikel Garcia at third base following a pair of starts at second base and left field. The 28-year-old owns an unremarkable .233/.281/.300 slash line thus far in July, but he could continue to see steady at-bats nonetheless while the Royals are without Edward Olivares (oblique).

Diaz went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and an RBI sacrifice fly in a loss to the Twins on Sunday.

The young infielder opened the scoring with a 381-foot shot to left field in the second inning, his sixth homer of the campaign and second of July. Diaz had been mired in a brief 0-for-8 slump over the previous three games, but that had been preceded by a 6-for-12 tally in the three contests prior. As the entirety of that stretch underscores, the 22-year-old is subject to the inconsistencies of a young player adapting to big-league arms, but Diaz is carrying a serviceable .240 average and .430 slugging percentage through 105 plate appearances in the majors this season.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Hernandez has been playing "good shortstop" for the last month and is confident with him playing the position, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports. "I can say with confidence that we've turned that page a month ago," Cora said Saturday.

Hernandez's struggles have been well documented. He had 14 errors (12 throwing) and a minus-5 defensive runs saved over 470 innings prior to a start at shortstop Saturday. Cora said they spotted mechanical issues, which has been addressed, and has no issues using him going forward. Shortstop will be a rotation of sorts with Hernandez cycling in with Yu Chang, and potentially Pablo Reyes (abdomen) when he comes off the 10-day injured list.

Semien went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks and three total runs scored in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Guardians.

Semien set the table well as a leadoff batter, and Nathaniel Lowe twice brought him home on RBI singles. While Semien is hitting just .200 (9-for-45) in July, he's added a 9:5 BB:K across those 12 contests. The second baseman is up to 12 homers, 58 RBI, 75 runs scored, nine stolen bases and a .272/.342/.443 slash line through 94 games this season.

Altuve (oblique) ran the bases before Sunday's game against the Angels, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Manager Dusty Baker also said before Sunday's matchup that Altuve will travel with the Astros for their upcoming road trip to Colorado, so the second baseman will require more time before he's able to begin a rehab assignment. Altuve also took grounders at second base just before the All-Star break, so he's made encouraging progress over the past week.

Short is starting at second base and batting ninth in Sunday's game against the Mariners.

Short will make his first start after the All-Star break, with Zach McKinstry moving over to left field and Nick Maton starting at third base. The Tigers seem to have Spencer Torkelson and Javier Baez locked in at first and shortstop, respectively, but the other two infield positions are a bit more fluid. Short profiles more as a bench option, though he has a chance to see extended run at second if he heats up at the plate. He's batting just .211, however, and hasn't proven to be a dynamic offensive player to this point in his MLB career.

Merrifield went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's win over the Diamondbacks.

Merrifield singled to lead off the bottom of the second and went on to score the first of two runs for Toronto in the inning. He then came right back in his next at-bat and crushed a hanging changeup from Zac Gallen over the left field wall to lead off the fourth, putting the Blue Jays back on top 3-2. The second baseman has been highly efficient at the plate this month and now has recorded two hits in five of his last seven games. Four of his six home runs on the season have also come in July.