MLB Player News

Gimenez went 0-for-2 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and a stolen base in Wednesday's 7-2 loss to the White Sox.

The steal was his seventh of the season, but Gimenez had attempted just one theft (and caught got stealing) over his previous 20 games. The second baseman saw his modest four-game hitting streak come to an end Wednesday. He's slashing .231/.308/.357 with three home runs, nine RBI, 22 runs scored, seven doubles and a triple through 160 plate appearances.

Polanco has been diagnosed with a mild left hamstring strain, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Polanco suffered the injury during Wednesday's game against the Dodgers. That the injury is being termed mild would seem to give him a shot to avoid the injured list, although hamstrings are notoriously tricky. Polanco went 1-for-3 with a single before exiting Wednesday.

Rengifo is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles.

Brandon Drury will step in at second base Wednesday, after Rengifo had occupied the position in each of the previous three games while going 1-for-11 with a run scored. Despite taking a seat Wednesday, Rengifo should have a path to steady playing time in the infield until the Angels return one of Jared Walsh (migraines) or Anthony Rendon (groin) from the 10-day injured list.

Altuve (thumb) will appear in a rehab game Wednesday for Double-A Christi before potentially being reinstated from the 10-day injured list prior to Houston's game Friday versus Oakland, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Altuve has struggled thus far in his rehab stint with a .056 average over 18 at-bats, but the reps are far more important than the results at this stage. Even if the 33-year-old needs an extra couple of days, he looks like he's on pace to rejoin the Houston lineup for his season debut at some point over the weekend. Mauricio Dubon has been serving as the primary replacement at second base for Altuve this season and would presumably move into a utility role once Altuve is activated.

Espinal is will start at second base and bat ninth Wednesday against the Yankees.

With Whit Merrifield covering left field Wednesday while Kevin Kiermaier (illness) gets the night off, the keystone is opened up for Espinal. The 28-year-old infielder has put up a woeful .477 OPS across 71 plate appearances this season.

Dubon is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Cubs.

Dubon has been hot with the bat as of late, but he'll put his eight-game hitting streak on hold while he rests in the series finale with the Cubs. David Hensley will step in for Dubon as the Astros' starting second baseman.

Valdez is out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's tilt against the Mariners, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Valdez will grab a seat on the bench to open the finale against Seattle with left-hander Marco Gonzales on the mound. Pablo Reyes will handle duties at second base and hit seventh in Valdez's absence.

Hernandez (hamstring) is hitting sixth and playing shortstop against the Mariners on Wednesday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Hernandez returns after missing three games with a strained left hamstring. The veteran infielder will handle shortstop duties with Pablo Reyes moving to second base and Enmanuel Valdez beginning Wednesday's contest on the bench.

Diaz is not in the starting lineup Wednesday versus the Diamondbacks.

Diaz has gone 2-for-22 with no RBI or runs scored since he went 3-for-4 with three homers versus the Yankees on May 9. He'll get a breather Wednesday and will be replaced at second base by Tony Kemp, who will bat eighth in the series finale with Arizona.

Dubon went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored in Tuesday's 7-3 win over the Cubs.

Dubon led off the game with a ground-rule double and came around to score on a wild pitch. Six frames later, he hit another two-bagger and tallied his second run. Despite the return of Chas McCormick, Dubon has remained the leadoff hitter for the Astros. He's earned that role, as he's in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak, during which he's hit .407 with two RBI and six runs scored.