MLB Player News

Valdez has been placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Worcester with a strained left hamstring, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Valdez just returned from a thumb injury two weeks ago and now he's back on the IL. It's not clear how long this injury might keep him sidelined, but clearly he's not going to be an option for the Red Sox for a bit.

Gimenez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Monday's 11-0 win over the Pirates.

Gimenez capped off the Guardians' four-run sixth inning with his homer. The second baseman has knocked three of his eight homers this season in July, batting .250 with eight RBI over 12 contests this month. He's at a .243/.316/.388 slash line with 36 RBI, 41 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 14 doubles and four triples through 89 games overall.

Rosario went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Monday's 11-0 win over the Pirates.

Rosario went 0-for-9 over his previous two games, slightly cooling off from what's been a hot July for the shortstop. He's batting .288 with two homers and 14 RBI over 13 games this month. For the season, Rosario is up to a .263/.305/.360 slash line with three long balls, 36 RBI, 46 runs scored and nine stolen bases through 87 contests.

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.