MLB Player News

Altuve (undisclosed) is leading off and starting at second base Sunday against the Nationals, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

He slipped on the grass and exited early Friday and was then held out Saturday, but fortunately he loses his injury designation before the end of the weekend. Altuve is hitting .325/.413/.725 with five home runs and zero steals in 11 games this month.

Torres is not in Sunday's lineup against the White Sox.

Torres isn't a true everyday player, but he has still logged 41 at-bats this month, hitting .220 with three home runs and zero steals over that span. DJ LeMahieu will start at second base while Giancarlo Stanton starts at designated hitter.

Lowe (undisclosed) is starting at designated hitter and leading off Sunday against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He was a late scratch from Saturday's lineup and no explanation was given for his absence, so it's good to see that it was a minor issue. The fact that he is in as the DH might suggest he is not quite 100 percent.

Merrifield went 1-for-4 with a run, an RBI and a stolen base in a loss to the Rockies on Saturday.

Merrifield was slotted atop the order for the second straight game and extended his modest hitting streak to five contests with a third-inning single that plated a run. He subsequently stole second base and came around to score on a Salvador Perez long ball. Merrifield's average still sits at .173 on the season, but he's starting to round back into form, going 8-for-23 with a home run, five RBI, eight runs and two steals over his past five games.

Rengifo suffered a right elbow contusion in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Athletics.

He was hit on the elbow by a pitch and later replaced by a pinch hitter. It sounds like Rengifo dodged a serious injury and is day-to-day going forward. He was sneakily having a strong season at Triple-A and briefly in the majors, so he could play up the middle somewhat regularly if he can continue to produce when he returns to the lineup.

Rengifo was hit on the elbow by a pitch in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the A's and eventually left the game, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

He is now hitting .286/.375/.357 with zero home runs, zero steals and a 3:1 K:BB in 17 plate appearances since getting the call May 8. Rengifo is still just 25 and hit .313/.384/.525 with four home runs and two steals in 24 games at Triple-A prior to getting the call. Matt Duffy pinch hit for him.

Mayfield was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake prior to Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against Oakland.

He had hit .129 with seven strikeouts and one walk in his last 31 at-bats. Matt Duffy was activated from the COVID-19 injured list in a corresponding move.

Andrus will sit for the second half of Saturday's doubleheader against the Angels.

Andrus went 0-for-2 with a walk in the first game of the day. Kevin Smith slides to shortstop for the nightcap, with Sheldon Neuse taking Smith's spot at third base.

Lowe was scratched from Saturday's lineup against the Blue Jays for an unspecified reason, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It's not yet clear whether Lowe is dealing with an injury, but he was removed from the lineup with under an hour before first pitch. Taylor Walls will take over at the keystone and bat eighth.

Altuve (undisclosed) isn't starting Saturday against the Nationals.

Altuve was removed from Friday's game against Washington as a precautionary measure after slipping on the grass, and he'll be out of the lineup for at least one game. However, manager Dusty Baker said Altuve was due for a day off anyway, while general manager James Click is optimistic that the second baseman will avoid a trip to the injured list. Altuve should be considered day-to-day, while Niko Goodrum will start at second base and bat eighth Saturday.