MLB Player News

Massey is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Massey is 2-for-23 with two RBI, a stolen base and 11 strikeouts over his past eight games and will head to the bench Sunday. Drew Waters will enter the lineup in Massey's place as the Royals shuffle their infield alignment, resulting in Nicky Lopez shifting to second base.

Espinal is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.

Espinal started the past three games and will take a seat after going 2-for-10 with a run scored. Whit Merrifield will start at the keystone and bat eighth Sunday.

Lowe (elbow) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox, Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Sun reports.

Lowe will remain on the bench for the second consecutive game after exiting Friday's contest with a right elbow contusion. Lowe was reportedly available as a pinch hitter Saturday, though he wasn't utilized, and he figures to available in a similar capacity Sunday. Isaac Paredes is starting at the keystone in the series finale at Boston.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Arroyo will "play a lot" at first base, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Trevor Story returned from the injured list Saturday to resume his regular spot at second base, which Arroyo had been filling this month. In order to keep Arroyo's hot bat in the lineup -- he has a slash line of .367/.400/.511 over his last 23 games -- Cora will work him at first base. Eric Hosmer (back) is on the injured list, and production from the Bobby Dalbec/Franchy Cordero platoon is lacking. Arroyo took grounders there prior to Saturday's game but did not play. "We're not asking him to be Don Mattingly at first base. Actually, he's going to play first because he's swinging the bat well," the manager said. Arroyo will start at second base Sunday with Story getting an off day, but Cora said there's a good chance Arroyo will play first base Monday.

Mathias started at designated hitter and went 2-for-3 with a walk in Saturday's 11-2 loss to Detroit.

Mathias made his second straight start at DH and third consecutive overall. He's making the most of his opportunity, posting multiple hits in all three starts with one home run, five RBI and three runs scored. As the Rangers begin to focus on the offseason and 2023, a 27-year-old utility infielder with 75 plate appearances at the major-league level may not be front-and-center in the organization's plans, but Mathias could carve out at-bats over the final month ahead of Brad Miller and Charlie Culberson at DH.

Castro went 3-for-5 with a run scored in Saturday's 11-2 win over the Rangers.

All three hits were singles, which is par for the course for Castro. The infielder is batting a solid .284, though he's chipped in just five home runs and 18 doubles across 93 games. Castro also doesn't have any stolen bases this season, so his fantasy value is a bit capped as a contact hitter with limited power and speed. However, he should remain useful as long as he's playing most days and can stay hot at the plate.

Lowe (elbow) said that his right elbow was feeling better Saturday after he exited Friday's 9-8 loss to Boston in the bottom of the third inning, when he was hit by a 94 mile-per-hour pitch, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Though Lowe was out of the lineup for Saturday's 5-1 loss, he was said to be available off the bench in a pinch-hitting capacity. Lowe noted that he's still dealing with some soreness and swelling in his elbow that could affect his throwing, so if he rejoins the lineup for Sunday's series finale, it may be as the designated hitter.

Polanco left Saturday's game versus the Giants early with an undisclosed injury, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Polanco was replaced at second base by Nick Gordon in the top of the seventh inning, leaving for an unspecified reason. The 29-year-old Polanco has been dealing with knee soreness over the last week or so, which could be the reason for his removal. More information on his status will likely be provided after the contest.

Hernandez went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in Saturday's victory over the Rays.

Hernandez homered off lefty starter Jeffrey Springs to lead off the fourth and give Boston a 5-0 lead. The second baseman has hit well in his last seven games with a .304 average and .565 slugging percentage in 23 at-bats. In addition, the 31-year-old has recorded one RBI or more in nine of his last 11 games.

Miller will sit for the second straight game Saturday against Seattle.

Miller is hitting just .196/.250/.286 in August, lowering his OPS on the season to .650. Josh Naylor will make another start at first base in his absence.