MLB Player News

Drury went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double and a walk in Saturday's 10-1 loss to the Rangers.

Drury's ninth-inning blast was the only run for the Angels, though the game was close throughout before the Rangers' eruption in the top of the ninth. He was the only Angel to record an extra-base hit, and he's now gone 5-for-15 (.333) with two homers over his last four games. For the season, he's slashing .248/.288/.514 with seven long balls, 19 RBI, 15 runs scored, six doubles and a triple through 31 contests.

Altuve (thumb) took batting practice Saturday in Seattle, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Altuve has been sidelined since he broke his thumb while playing in the World Baseball Classic in late March, but Saturday's limited action is a big step in his rehab program. The second baseman is already eligible to return since he's just on the 10-day injured list, and he's set to undergo imaging on the injured finger soon. Barring any problematic test results, Altuve could begin a rehab assignment within the next couple weeks.

Valdez will sit Saturday against the Phillies, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Valdez has appeared in 10 games for the Red Sox this season, hitting .343/.361/.514 with a homer and three steals. Since his late-April call-up, he's started against seven consecutive righties but just one of out three lefties, including Saturday's starter Bailey Falter. Christian Arroyo will replace him at second base.

Lowe (back) will bat cleanup and start at second base Saturday against the Yankees, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Lowe sat out the last two days while battling a back issue, one which was reportedly different from the back troubles which cost him much of last season. He started this season strong, posting a 1.045 OPS in his first 17 games, but he's slumped to a .478 OPS and a 39.0 percent strikeout rate over his last 10. It's possible he was bothered by the back problem over that stretch, so this brief rest could be what he needs to get back on track.

Kemp went 3-for-4 with an RBI double, another two-bagger, a walk and a run in a win over the Royals on Friday.

The struggling veteran's three-hit night was part of a long-awaited offensive breakout by the seven-win Athletics and qualified as his most successful performance at the plate of the campaign thus far. Kemp may be finally starting to pick up a bit of momentum with the bat after limping to a .163 average over his first 24 games, as he's now hit safely in three of the last four contests.

Andrus went 1-for-1 with two walks, a three-run home run and a stolen base in Friday's 5-4 win over the Reds.

Hitting ninth against a right-hander once again, the veteran infielder took Hunter Greene deep in the fifth inning to get the White Sox on the board. It was Andrus' first homer of the season while his third-inning pilfer was his fifth, and the 34-year-old outfielder has struggled to make an impact in general so far in 2023, slashing .204/.289/.265.

Merrifield went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and three stolen bases in Friday's 4-0 win over the Pirates.

The 34-year-old made life miserable for Pittsburgh catcher Austin Hedges every time he reached base, swiping third after a fourth-inning double then taking second and third after a sixth-inning single. Merrifield is still looking for his first homer of the year, but that's about the only blemish on his line to begin his first full season as a Blue Jays -- he's slashing .301/.356/.398 with 10 RBI, 11 runs and seven steals in eight attempts through 26 games.

Lowe is absent from the Rays' lineup for the second straight day Friday due to a slight back issue, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe missed a large chunk of the 2022 campaign with back problems, although manager Kevin Cash said this issue is unrelated. The second baseman plans to go through a full workout Friday and be available off the bench, so it sounds like he should return to the lineup soon.

Frazier isn't in the Orioles' lineup for Friday's game against Atlanta, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

After going 2-for-3 and scoring four times Thursday against the Royals, Frazier earned himself a day off for Friday's series opener. Ramon Urias will take over at second base and bat sixth in Frazier's absence.

Frazier went 2-for-3 with two walks, a stolen base and four runs scored in Thursday's 13-10 win over the Royals.

Frazier has hit safely in six of his last seven games, going 7-for-19 (.368). Thursday was his first multi-hit effort in that span. The second baseman is up to a .241/.333/.379 slash line with three home runs, 10 RBI, five steals, 20 runs scored and three doubles through 99 plate appearances.