MLB Player News

Lopez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Diamondbacks.

Lopez will take a seat against southpaw Tommy Henry for the first game of the series against Arizona. Michael Massey will get the start at second base while hitting sixth in his absence.

Polanco will bat third and start at second base in Monday's game versus the Yankees.

Polanco batted fifth twice and sixth once over the weekend against the Nationals in his return to action, but he's earned a move up in the batting order after tallying three hits -- including a home run -- Sunday. The veteran second baseman got a late start to the season due to a nagging knee issue.

Arroyo is absent from the lineup Monday against the Orioles, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

Arroyo returned to the lineup Saturday after missing time with a hamstring injury but has now been on the bench the last two contests. There's no indication to this point that the hamstring might still be bothering him, so it appears manager Alex Cora is just preferring to roll with Enrique Hernandez at second base and Yu Chang at shortstop.

Semien went 1-for-3 with two walks, a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 5-2 win over Oakland.

Semien continued a strong run of production atop the Rangers' order. The second baseman has reached base safely in nine straight games, going 14-for-32 (.438) with nine walks, three home runs, 13 RBI, 13 runs and two stolen bases. He leads Texas with 21 runs and is tied with Travis Jankowski for team lead with three steals.

Massey went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Angels.

Massey's poor start to the year has cost him the chance to hold down a starting role at second base. He was benched a couple of times against right-handed pitchers over the last week, but he's started versus two straight righties and even earned a look against southpaw Reid Detmers in Sunday's contest. Massey has a lackluster .143/.138/.161 slash line with four RBI, three runs scored, one double and one steal through 58 plate appearances. With Matt Duffy starting the year hot and Nicky Lopez still in the mix at the keystone, Massey will need to quickly build on this game to maintain his playing time.

Polanco went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and one run scored in Sunday's win over Washington.

Polanco is 5-for-13 with a double and home run in his first three games back from the injured list. There has been talk that the Twins may rest him against a left-handed pitcher this week to ease him back into action, but he may be tough to sit if he stays hot at the plate. He looks back to full strength, but continue to monitor his left knee. Polanco missed the final month of 2022 with a left knee injury, and his progress stalled in the Grapefruit League, which delayed his 2023 debut until this weekend.

Rosario went 4-for-5 with a double, a triple, four runs scored and a steal in Sunday's win over Miami.

Rosario filled up the box score Sunday, tallying four hits (including his second triple in four games) and his fourth stolen base of the season. Rosario is heating up after a slow start to the year, going 9-for-24 with five extra-base hits in his last six games. The 27-year-old shortstop boosted his slash line to .260/.304/.397 with a homer run, four RBI and 12 runs scored through 79 plate appearances.

Manager John Schneider said Espinal (wrist) will undergo additional medical testing Monday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Espinal had X-rays come back negative on his bruised right wrist after being hit by a pitch Saturday, but more medical testing is still necessary. The 28-year-old should still be considered day-to-day but seems unlikely to be available for Monday's series opener versus the White Sox.

Espinal is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees, but X-rays on his bruised right wrist returned negative, Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star reports.

Espinal was fortunate to avoid any structural damage to his wrist after being hit by a pitch in Saturday's 3-2 loss, but he may be down for a day or two while he waits for the bruising to subside. The Blue Jays still have Cavan Biggio on hand as a utility infielder if Espinal isn't available off the bench.

Rengifo will start at second base and bat fifth in Sunday's game against the Royals.

Rengifo will pick up his fourth consecutive start, with two coming at the keystone and two coming in the outfield. Though he's reached base five times in 11 plate appearances over the previous three games, Rengifo is still sitting on a .616 OPS for the season. He'll likely need to string together several more solid offensive performances before moving out of his current utility role and staking his claim to an everyday gig.