MLB Player News

Arroyo (groin) will sit Saturday against the Yankees, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Previous reports indicated that Arroyo would play through a groin injury he picked up recently, but the Red Sox instead elected to sit him for at least one game. He hasn't hit well enough to deserve a spot when he's at less than 100 percent, slashing a modest .224/.278/.362 on the year.

Brujan was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Thursday.

Brujan lost out on regular playing time in late June and early July, and his demotion should allow him to see more regular at-bats as he continues to work on developing. The 24-year-old has appeared in 46 games with the Rays to begin the year and has slashed .167/.230/.246 with two homers, 15 RBI, 11 runs and four stolen bases. Taylor Walls should serve as the primary second baseman until Brandon Lowe (back) is cleared to return.

Kemp isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Astros.

Kemp has gone 0-for-14 with a run, a walk and two strikeouts over his last five games and will retreat to the bench for the third time in the last six matchups. Chad Pinder is starting in left field and batting fifth.

Arraez isn't starting Saturday's game against the Rangers.

Arraez is in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak in which he's hit .457 with six doubles, seven runs and two RBI. He'll get a breather while Jose Miranda starts at first base and bats fifth.

Torres went 3-for-6 with a double, a run and two RBI in Friday's 12-5 win against Boston.

Torres plated the Yankees' first run of the contest with a single in the first inning. He produced another RBI with a double to left field in the eighth. Torres has collected multiple hits in four straight contests -- the longest such streak of his career. Over the hot stretch, he's slashing .500/.571/.667 with three doubles, two RBI, a stolen base and a 3:3 BB:K.

Hernandez (hip) served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 for Triple-A Worcester on Friday.

This was Hernandez's first game on a rehabilitation assignment, and he looked good including a hard-hit ball on his first at-bat. "I think he's fine. That [first] ball was scolded," Worcester manager Chad Tracy told Katie Morrison of MassLive.com. "I think he was picking the ball up fine. He was turning it loose. He looked good health-wise as well." The Red Sox are expected to see how Hernandez, who was placed on the injured list June 8, responds to work in the outfield before having him return to Boston.

Andrus went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a loss to the Astros on Friday.

The veteran shortstop opened the scoring on the night for either squad with his 350-foot shot in the second inning that plated Christian Bethancourt. Andrus has been on an unusual power surge of late, leaving the yard in three of his last seven games and posting a sizzling .316 average and 1.053 OPS across 43 plate appearances over his last 12 contests.

Espinal went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a walk in Friday's 5-2 extra-innings loss to the Mariners.

Espinal walked and stole second in the eighth inning, but he was left on base. The infielder has enjoyed a productive start to July, going 9-for-30 (.300) with two steals in eight games. He's up to five steals in seven attempts this year while maintaining a .274/.327/.405 slash line with six home runs, 37 RBI and 31 runs scored through 84 contests.

Arroyo is dealing with a groin injury following Friday's loss to the Yankees but is expected to play through the issue Saturday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Arroyo went 1-for-4 with a strikeout Friday but was removed late in the blowout loss. He's apparently dealing with a groin issue, but the injury doesn't seem too significant since manager Alex Cora expects the 27-year-old to play Saturday. If Arroyo is ultimately available for Saturday's matchup, he's a strong candidate to start at third base since Rafael Devers (back) won't play.

Merrifield went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer in Friday's 4-3 win over Cleveland.

Merrifield singled twice Friday before drilling a game-tying, two-run shot in the eighth inning. It was his fifth long ball of the year and second in his last three games. The 33-year-old entered July with an abysmal .228/.277/.311 slash line but he's gone 12-for-33 (.363) with five extra-base hits and nine runs scored in eight games this month.