MLB Player News

Hernandez (hip) will take batting practice Friday but isn't close to returning to game action, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Hernandez resumed swinging a bat in late July and has been progressing well in his recovery after he received a platelet-rich plasma injection shortly before the All-Star break. However, the 30-year-old will still require some time before he's cleared to begin a rehab assignment. Manager Alex Cora said last weekend that he hopes Hernandez will be able to return sometime in August, but a better timetable for his return is unlikely to be revealed until he at least faces live pitching.

Merrifield, who is batting eighth and starting in center field Thursday at Minnesota, told reporters he has been vaccinated and will be able to travel with the Blue Jays when the team returns to Canada, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

The 33-year-old will start in center field in his first game with the Blue Jays while George Springer (elbow) serves as the designated hitter, but the former should be expected to see most of his playing time at the keystone. Merrifield was unable to travel with the Royals for the four-game series in Toronto just before the All-Star break, but he's since been vaccinated and will be able to enter Canada when the team returns for a six-game homestand next Friday. He has a .240/.290/.352 slash line with six home runs, 42 RBI and 15 stolen bases through 95 games this season.

Espinal is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins.

Espinal's time as Toronto's primary second baseman has likely come to an end with trade-acquisition Whit Merrifield making his team debut. Merrifield is actually starting in center field Thursday but is expected to see most of his playing time at the keystone. Espinal should compete for utility reps with Cavan Biggio, who is starting at second base Thursday.

Miller will take a seat Thursday against the Astros and right-hander Justin Verlander.

Miller had started the previous three games, going 2-for-12 with a home run and two RBI. Josh Naylor will get the starting nod at first base and should be the Guardians' preferred option against right-handed pitching moving forward, but Miller could see a slight uptick in opportunities versus righties while the team takes a committee approach to designated hitter following Franmil Reyes' recent demotion to Triple-A Columbus.

Andrus isn't starting Thursday against the Angels.

Andrus is getting a day off after he went 3-for-12 with a double and three strikeouts over the last three games. Nick Allen will shift to shortstop while Jonah Bride starts at second base.

Rosario went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, three RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 7-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

Rosario hit a massive 450-foot homer in the fifth inning to put the Guardians up 4-0 in the contest, which is the longest homer in the shortstop's career. He has multiple hits in 13 of his last 23 games, batting .350 in that span. For the season, Rosario's put together a.293/.328/.414 slash line with six homers, 41 RBI, 58 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 19 doubles and six triples in 98 contests.

Merrifield is expected to join the Blue Jays on Thursday for a series in Minneapolis, but his vaccination status and ability to enter Canada for the team's next homestand remains unclear, Gregor Chisholm of The Toronto Star reports. "Obviously we know he wasn't there in Toronto, but totally up to him [whether he gets vaccinated] and I'm sure he's had conversations with his family and other people," Jays manager John Schneider said Wednesday. "We're leaving that decision up to him."

The former Royal missed a series in Toronto just before the All-Star break due to his inability to cross the border, but Merrifield made comments afterward suggesting he would get vaccinated if he were playing for a team in playoff contention. That's now the case after he was dealt to the Jays at the trade deadline, but it remains to be seen if he's changed his mind about getting vaccinated. Merrifield has a career-low .642 OPS through 95 games this season, but a move to a competitive team and having a more potent offense around him could spark his bat to life down the stretch.

Altuve went 4-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Wednesday's victory over the Red Sox.

Altuve scored on a heads up play in the first inning when Yordan Alvarez grounded out to short. Altuve would finish the day 4-for-4, his second four-hit game of the year. The veteran second baseman now has six hits in 13 at-bats to start August while striking out just once. In three games this month, Altuve has improved his batting average from .270 to .280.

Frazier went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Yankees.

The 30-year-old continues to turn his season around. Frazier has banged out multiple hits in four of the last five games, and since the beginning of July he's batting .330 (32-for-97). The prolonged hot streak has boosted his slash line on the year to .250/.311/.316 with three homers, seven steals, 27 RBI and 44 runs through 104 contests.

Castro went 3-for-4 in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Twins.

Castro had three of Detroit's four total hits on the day, so it's not surprising he wasn't able to rack up any counting stats given the lineup's overall futility. The utility man is now batting .284 this season, while the team as a whole is batting just .226. As one of the squad's most consistent hitters, Castro should continue to see regular playing time, especially with Spencer Torkelson down at Triple-A Toledo.