MLB Player News

Kemp went 1-for-4 with a double in a loss to the Rangers on Monday, snapping an 0-for-21 skid.

The veteran found himself bumped down all the way to No. 8 in the order, but his two-bagger off Garrett Richards gave him a momentary respite from a forgettable stretch at the plate. After his average and on-base percentage most recently peaked at .244 and .326, respectively, May 31, Kemp has hit just .150 with six extra-base hits (five doubles, one home run) over his subsequent 33 games.

Stefanic went 2-for-2 with two walks and a run in Sunday's loss to Baltimore.

Stefanic reached base in all four of his plate appearances in the loss, and he scored a run in the third inning on a Monte Harrison home run. Stefanic has only one extra-base hit (a double) in 22 plate appearances, but he's shown an astute ability to get on base with a .389 average and .500 OBP over 22 plate appearances. His major-league skill set has thus far proven to be in line with what he showed in the minors; over 210 plate appearances with Triple-A Salt Lake this season, the 26-year-old slashed .320/.410/.399 but had only 10 extra-base hits among his 57 total hits while posting a 25:12 BB:K.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said that Lowe (back) will remain on his rehab assignment at Triple-A Durham through Thursday before potentially being activated from the 60-day injured list ahead of Friday's game against the Orioles, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Lowe has already played in two games for Durham, going 2-for-4 at the dish between those contests. Since Lowe has been on the shelf for nearly two months with a lower-back stress reaction, the Rays would ideally keep him on the assignment for the entire week to allow him to regain his timing at the plate, but he won't have many more opportunities to play in the minors with the All-Star break approaching. If Lowe makes it back from the IL this weekend, the Rays could be eased back into the lineup at designated hitter rather that has his typical spot at second base.

Sosa (ankle) returned to Triple-A Charlotte's lineup over the weekend and went 1-for-10 with two walks across his three starts against Gwinnett.

Sosa was sidelined for just under a week with a minor ankle issue that didn't result in his placement on the 7-day injured list. The 22-year-old received his first big-league call-up earlier this summer, but until the White Sox lose patience with the underwhelming veteran duo of Josh Harrison and Leury Garcia at second base, Sosa may not get an extended look as a starter in the majors in 2022.

Miller is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.

Miller had started in five of the past six games, but he'll likely shift into more of a part-time role moving forward with Josh Naylor (back) making his return to the lineup. The righty-hitting Miller should play regularly at first base, second base or designated hitter when the Guardians oppose left-handed starting pitchers, however.

Merrifield said Monday that he's dealing with swelling and a bone bruise to a ligament in his right big toe and is hopeful to return to the Kansas City lineup following the All-Star break, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

The Royals delayed placing Merrifield on the 10-day injured list ahead of Monday's doubleheader with the Tigers, but a transaction could come later in the day or Tuesday, given that he's ruling himself out for the entirety of the team's eight-game week. Merrifield noted that a team doctor recommended wearing a walking boot to protect the injured toe, so he could be several days away from resuming on-field activities. Nicky Lopez is expected to serve as the primary replacement at second base while Merrifield is sidelined, paving the way for Emmanuel Rivera to play regularly at third base. Merrifield's absence from the lineup for the front end of Monday's doubleheader ends a streak of 553 games played.

Merrifield (toe) won't play in either end of Monday's doubleheader with the Tigers, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

For the first time in 553 games, Merrifield will not be in the starting lineup for the Royals as he nurses a ligament injury to his right big toe. Merrifield owns a .240 average with five homers, 36 RBI, 45 runs and 14 stolen bases over 338 at-bats in 84 games this season.

Manager Mike Matheny said after Sunday's win over the Guardians that Merrifield (toe) had X-rays come back negative and is now awaiting the results of an MRI, Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Merrifield went 0-for-2 with a strikeout before exiting Sunday's contest after the fourth inning with right toe discomfort. The 33-year-old's availability for Monday's doubleheader against the Tigers is up in the air until the MRI results are returned.

Torres is not in the lineup for Sunday's game at Boston.

Torres started the past six games and will take a seat after posting a .915 OPS during that stretch. DJ LeMahieu will shift to second base while Matt Carpenter enters the lineup as the designated hitter.

Dubon is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

With Jeremy Pena (illness) checking back into the lineup for the series finale, Dubon's four-game run in the starting nine will come to an end. Houston moved designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) to the 10-day injured list Sunday, but Aledmys Diaz looks like the first man up to replace Alvarez in the everyday lineup.