MLB Player News

Drury (shoulder) fielded grounders and threw from third base Thursday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Worth remembering is that Drury's injury is to his left (non-throwing) shoulder, but he's still making nice progress as he continues to ramp up his rehab. He could continue with his workouts this week before potentially rejoining the Angels sometime next week.

Ibanez is absent from the lineup for the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Angels.

Ibanez had started seven of the last nine at second base, but he'll yield to Zack Short for this one. He figures to be in the lineup for the second contest.

Merrifield went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and four RBI in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Dodgers.

His three-run shot off Tony Gonsolin in the fifth inning put the game out of reach and all but wrapped up a series win for the Blue Jays. Merrifield is putting the finishing touches on a huge July, slashing .352/.377/.592 through 19 games with five of his seven homers on the season to go along with two steals, 14 runs and 16 RBI.

Kemp went 3-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 8-3 loss to the Giants.

Kemp snapped an 0-for-11 skid with his strong performance in this contest. He also recorded his 12th steal of the season, six of which have come in July. The 31-year-old is slashing .212/.300/.301 with three home runs, 19 RBI, 31 runs scored, eight doubles and three triples over 83 contests. Kemp's retained a starting job in left field with Ramon Laureano back, which has pushed Seth Brown to fill in for Ryan Noda (jaw) as the strong-side platoon option at first base.

Altuve (oblique) went 0-for-3 in Wednesday's 13-5 loss to the Rangers.

Altuve played five innings at second base, though his removal was likely due to the Rangers leading by 10 runs to start the sixth. He went 9-for-27 in the seven games prior to his three-week stint on the injured list, but he may have rust to shake off after not having a rehab assignment. Altuve owns a .258/.363/.468 slash line with six home runs, 18 RBI, 25 runs scored and five stolen bases through 33 contests. He should be a near-everyday option at second base over utility man Mauricio Dubon.

Semien went 3-for-3 with a two-run home run and two additional runs scored in Wednesday's 13-5 win over the Astros.

Semien posted his third straight multi-hit effort, and he's swatted four homers since the All-Star break. Wednesday also saw him log multiple RBI for the first time since June 14. The second baseman is at a .280/.346/.457 slash line with 15 homers, 63 RBI, 83 runs scored and nine stolen bases through 103 contests.

Dubon is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.

Dubon had started at second base and served as Houston's leadoff hitter in 16 of the past 17 games, but he'll lose out on both roles after the Astros reinstated Jose Altuve (oblique) from the 10-day injured list Wednesday. With Altuve back in the fold, Dubon will likely transition back into a super-utility role that will may afford him only a handful of starts per week. Despite often occupying a prominent spot in the lineup since the beginning of July, Dubon is slashing a meager .202/.230/.274 so far this month.

Andrus is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.

Andrus appeared to overtake Zach Remillard as Chicago's primary second baseman last week, but both players could be ticketed for utility roles moving forward. With Yoan Moncada returning from the injured list Tuesday and stepping back in as the White Sox's everyday third baseman, Jake Burger has now picked up consecutive starts at the keystone. Despite his defensive limitations at second base, Burger looks like he could settle in as the primary option at the position as the White Sox aim to keep his potent bat in the lineup.

Altuve (oblique) was activated from the 10-day injured list Wednesday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Altuve has missed nearly three weeks of action due to left oblique soreness, but he's been working out lately with no issues and will return to the Astros' lineup without a rehab assignment. The veteran second baseman will carry a .264/.371/.479 batting line with six home runs and five stolen bases over 32 games into action Wednesday.

Houston optioned Hensley to Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Yordan Alvarez (oblique) and Jose Altuve (oblique) are back from the injured list, so both Hensley and Bligh Madris will get the boot from the Astros' major-league roster. Hensley, 27, has batted just .121/.215/.169 over 93 plate appearances this season in the majors.